


Maple Bourbon Candles

by LostAndDelirious



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Clexa, Clexa Fic, Clexa fanfic, F/F, F/M, LostAndDelirious, and its really cold, but at least she gets to meet lexa, clarke makes her friends go on a vacation, clexa au, clexa fanfiction, too bad its only a 10 day trip though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2019-12-30 16:47:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 36,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18319310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LostAndDelirious/pseuds/LostAndDelirious
Summary: AU - Clarke and her friends have a getaway up north during an already insufferable winter. A snack and beer run leads to more than what she bargained for.





	1. Cause and Effect

**Author's Note:**

> To be honest, I've just gotten to know the ins and outs of the Clexa fandom in recent weeks (thanks to a good friend, @kay_be), and now I'm hooked.
> 
> This is my first Clexa fic - please join me on this new adventure of mine. :)
> 
> \-----
> 
> Second s/o to @kay_be for being my beta

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 6/1/19: Made some edits to this chapter. Cleaned up some typos, reworded minor parts. Nothing major has changed.
> 
> -L

“Wait, the name of the town is what?” the boy with the ski goggles atop his head asked from the backseat of the Jeep.

“It’s called ‘Peru,’ babe. We’ve gone over this a dozen times,” the girl to his side answered sweetly, kissing his cheek while smiling at the boy.

Monty, the boy to his other side brought his finger to his chin and questioned, “Who on earth would name a town up in this icy nation of Vermont after a country whose winter doesn’t even reach freezing point?”

Clarke rolled her eyes. The five-hour drive from Brooklyn, not including the extra thirty minutes of traffic, was thankfully nearing its end. She adored her friends, but she hadn’t spent this much time in a confined space with the two boys in the back to realize that neither of them never stopped talking, “Who on earth would stick me in a car with either of you?”

She checked her rearview mirror to see what reaction she was getting from the peanut gallery in the back, when she saw both boys roll their eyes. Maya was chuckling, bearing a toothy grin and giving Jasper a pat on his arm as consolation.

Clarke turned to her right to see her co-pilot Raven dozed off. The girl claimed “shotgun” as soon as they got to the cars and promised her best friend that she would stay awake during the drive and help navigate. Within approximately twenty-six minutes into the journey, the dark-haired girl was asleep – something Clarke knew would happen.

As her eyes diverted back to the road, she realized that Bellamy’s truck ahead of them had started to slow down. She took a moment to bask in her surroundings. Though it was a dark night, the shimmer of the moonlight atop the snow-glistened branches of the trees in the forest lit up the winding mountain road they were on. Up ahead, she saw a light on the side of the street with a quaint building attached to it. She realized Bellamy was slowing down to stop, she also slowed down and turned her blinker on to turn.

They were all sluggish getting out of the cars. A group of city-raised adults like themselves didn't usually find themselves confined in a car for that ungodly amount of time, let alone squished between all of their belongings for a ten-day getaway.

Bellamy, his sister Octavia, and his best friend Murphy all hopped out of Bellamy’s beat up pick up, aching to stretch their constricted muscles.

“Can I please switch with anyone in your car for the rest of the ride?” Octavia asked, running up to Clarke.

“You can swap with Tweedle Dee or Tweedle Dumb. You know Raven won’t give up that seat, and other than that Maya has been the only enjoyable person in the car thus far, so I can’t be too quick to give that up,” Clarke replied, smiling at Octavia.

She then turned her attention to her friend’s older brother, “Why are we stopping? We’re only ten minutes out.”

“We didn’t stop for groceries on the way up like we wanted to. I figured if this place was open, we could get some snacks and beer. Maybe if we’re lucky they have some harder stuff too. Does anyone know if you can buy hard liquor from stores like this in Vermont? Or do we have to go to an actual liquor store?” Bellamy asked, to no one in particular.

“I’m not sure, but did you know that Vermont is the only state that doesn't allow billboard advertising?” Monty offered, looking up from his phone.

Clarke looked between him and Octavia, “O. You’re switching with Monty,” inciting a look of confusion from the boy, and a chuckle from everyone else.

“What? It’s a cool fact!” The boy rebutted, realizing everyone had already started making their way into the store.

It was nearly 9:00pm on a Thursday night, which Clarke thought was strange for such a small store in the middle of nowhere to still be open. As she walked in, she realized she was in a store that resembled so many of the small houseware boutiques that her neighborhood in Brooklyn had to offer. The outside of the building did the inside no justice. Clad with black herringbone floors and the subway-tiled walls, it looked straight out of an interior-design magazine. It took her a moment to fully gaze through the offerings from where she was standing. A selection of homemade candles and soaps, a counter offering what she assumed to be freshly baked goods, typical things you would find in a quaint general store like toiletries, snacks, locally-sourced grocery items, and other smaller kitchen things, but what truly caught her eye were these beautifully brown-shaped glass jugs on a nearby wooden shelf.

Clarke decided that was the first thing she wanted to look at, so she trodded in the opposite direction of her friends and headed straight to the bottles. She picked one up to examine it, not knowing what the contents were.

“Beautifully crafted, isn’t it?” She heard a voice next to her, “Welcome to ‘Woods General,’ I’m Indra. Can I help you find anything? You all aren’t from around here, are you?”

“We’re visiting for the week, actually. Does our lack of appropriate winter-wear give us away that much?” Clarke laughed.

“Very much so.” The woman smiled, “What you’re holding is a gem of ours. The Woods family has been making their maple bourbon syrup for generations now. They only do it in small batches, so once the store runs out, we’re out until they have time to make their next batch.”

Clarke could tell that the woman wasn’t necessarily trying to sell her on the product, she was merely storytelling – something she wasn’t used to. Stores in the city really only cared about making money. She couldn’t remember the last time she was offered a story about anything she picked up at a shop.

She smiled at Indra and thanked her as she placed the brown glass jug back on the shelf, excusing herself, “I should go find my friends and make sure they’re not causing a ruckus in this beautiful establishment.”

Clarke looked around and couldn't spot her friends. She knew she would have seen them leave, and Indra saw the confused look on her face, “It seems as if your friends have found the bar in the back.”

“There’s a bar in the back?” She asked, then realizing she literally just reiterated what the woman had just told her.

Indra smiled, “Follow the faint chatter and I’m sure your friends will be there.”

She smiled at the woman and took her advice. There was a walkway to the back of the store and as she made her way through it, the voices of her friends became a bit clearer, “Of course they found a hidden bar in the back of this store,” she said to herself.

As she rounded a corner, she was amazed at the sight ahead of her.

“I know, right?” Raven asked, holding up a drink, “We hit the jackpot with this little pit stop.”

“Looks like someone finally woke up, huh?” Clarke asked, wrinkling her nose at the girl.

“Yup, only thanks to our new friend Lincoln. He makes a mean espresso martini, and luckily for you, since you didn’t trade me out of your car for O, I ordered you one too,” the girl smiled back, handing her best friend the cocktail.

The group stayed for much longer than expected. Lincoln told them all about this hidden bar they stumbled upon. How the fixtures were reminiscent of the pre-Prohibition era. How the owners, The Woods Family, as he kept referring to them as, were also basically family to him. How the two sisters that ran Woods General were handed the family business. How he and all his family and friends have never moved out of this small town of Peru, Vermont, and how he doesn’t think they ever would.

“This is where our people are, and without our people, we’re nothing,” the man smiled.

“How late do you guys stay open?” O asked, unbeknownst to everyone in the group other than her older brother, she had been staring at Lincoln all night. Bellamy wasn’t sure if she was asking out of curiosity or if she had ulterior motives. 

“We close up when it’s late and the last of any shoppers are done,” the man smirked back, also wondering the same thing the girl’s older brother.

“Well in that case, we wouldn’t want to keep you. We need to make a few purchases still and have to check into the house we rented,” Bellamy said, interrupting the conversation his sister was wanting to continue.

He wasn't wrong. Clarke looked at her watch and it was just after 10pm. Apparently, time flies when you’re having drinks and gawking at the extremely detailed fixtures and intricacies of the establishment. 

Everyone grabbed what they wanted and started to check out. When Clarke put the bottle of Jameson on the counter, the boy ringing her up paused, “So, I’m legally not allowed to ring you up for this because it’s after 10, would you mind if I grabbed one of my sisters from the office? They may bend the rules for you guys, but it’s not my call to make.”

The boy left and came back a minute later, returning with a girl not much older than them at his side. The only way to explain her was “sharp.” Her features, her clothing, the way she carried herself and spoke. Clarke assumed that this was one of the Woods sisters that Lincoln had been telling them about.

“You have a beautiful store. And bar. The whole establishment. It’s gorgeous,” Clarke offered, hoping the compliment would help her and her friends score the bottle of whiskey, but also because she meant it.

“Thank you. Aden, it’s fine,” she said, returning her attention to the younger boy, then walked back from where she emerged from.

“You must have caught her on a good night,” The boy smiled, bagging Clarke’s goods, “Anya is normally more of a stickler than that.”

“I’ll catch her on any night,” Raven whispered in Clarke’s ear, receiving a slap from the blonde.

“Thank you very much. Aden, was it?” Clarke asked, turning her attention back to the boy, and hoping he didn’t overhear her friend’s semi-crude remark.

He gave the girl a smile and waved as the group started exiting the store.

Clarke noticed that Octavia hadn’t followed everyone else outside to the cars, she was lingering a bit longer in the entryway of the building. She assumed that her friend was waiting for one more glimpse of the hunky woodsman that was serving them cocktails around back. 

The blonde smirked at her friend, "What exactly is it that you're doing, O?"

“Mind your business,” Octavia smiled.

“We can come back, you know? This what, five, ten minutes tops from the cabin? I think they probably have fresh food during the day,” Clarke said, motioning to the food counter near the cash register.

“What if I never see him again?” The brunette sighed. She was never one for dramatics, but with a man that smiled at her the way this one did, she felt like she was nearly was done for.

“Come pick up breakfast tomorrow morning,” Aden called from behind the register, “Word on the street is that Lincoln is opening the store and here until lunch.”

Slightly embarrassed that their conversation was overheard, but also thankful that the teenage boy spoke up, she thanked him and finally made her way out of the store, “Make sure Monty gets his ass in Bellamy’s truck, I’m not getting back in there,” she said at Clarke, quickly back to being herself.   

**___**

The night went on for much longer than expected. They arrived at the cabin and followed the instructions sent to Clarke to access the keys from a lockbox out front. The house was much bigger than they imaged, the pictures online really didn't do it justice. Two floors and a basement, and a total of 6 bedrooms, the house had infinite room to keep the group entertained for the duration of their stay. They built a fire in the fire pit on the patio, they passed a bottle of whiskey around and nearly finished the whole liter of it, and then they all made their way to each of their rooms for a proper sleep.

Clarke, Raven, and Octavia had always been inseparable. The entire crew grew up together, but the three girls have always been one solid unit. These big group getaways have been far and few in between compared to when they were right out of college, but now with everyone peering into the latter end of their twenties, they group decided that it was necessary for them to make more time for each other. It was Clarke, particularly, who was the hardest one to pin down. Her first year of medical residency in New York was so awful that she almost wanted to give up, sometimes working nearly 80-hours on a weekly basis. But as she was deemed the group’s leader and planner, it was up to her to make an effort to pull herself away from work for just enough time to reconnect with the people she cared most about.

Clarke awoke that next morning feeling like a blade was being held to her skull and with a mouth that was exceptionally dry, “Well, fuck,” she let out, under her breath.

She walked out of her room and peeked into the door next to one she emerged from. Raven was half hanging off her bed and looked up at the blonde, “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up. I’m so hungover that I’ve been like this for fifteen minutes, waiting for you to get up and drag my ass out of bed.” 

Clarke laughed at the girl and went into her room to play along with Raven’s dramatics, “Where’s O?” She asked, looking at the empty bed next to Raven’s that their other friend was supposed to be in. It looked like it hadn’t been touched at all.

“You know how she is about other people’s beds,” Raven rolled her eyes and pointed straight out of the door. 

Clarke let out her second laugh of the morning, looking to where Raven was pointing to see Octavia asleep on a gigantic air mattress in the den of the basement. She made her way to her other friend and gave her a gentle nudge.

The girl didn't stir.

Clarke took her hand to Octavia’s shoulder to give her a little more of a shaking.

The girl coolly rolled over, still asleep.

Clarke rolled her eyes and kicked the air mattress with enough force to bounce Octavia almost three inches into the air. The act elicited a very high pitched squeal from Raven who was now emerging from the other room trying to contain her laughter, and bought Octavia to her feet within seconds.

“Holy hell, Griffin!” Octavia screamed, startled and ready to go into a fit of rage.

“Woah, woah, sleeping beauty. Before you get your panties in a bunch, I just wanted to remind you about a super hunky man who may or may not know that you’ll be dropping by the store this morning,” Clarke said, still taking a step back from Octavia, frightened that her friend may still act in aggression towards her. 

“I’m going to get ready now. Five minutes. Let’s go,” Octavia responded, dashing into the bathroom.

“Never thought I’d see the day,” Raven turned to Clarke, making her way to walk up the winding stairs to the main floor, “You have five minutes and I smell coffee. Let’s go up.”

The girls made their way into the large kitchen to see the boys and Maya all up and ready for the morning, something that’s never happened on previous trips.

“What’s this? I don’t have to pounce on everyone to wake them up? Is this a result of maturity finally kicking in?” Clarke joked as she grabbed for a mug to fill with the freshly made coffee, “And you made coffee too, what a time to be alive.”

“Well…” Murphy started.

“You guys want something, don’t you? Knew this was too good to be true,” Clarke huffed into her mug as she took that first sip, hoping it would take at least some of her headache away.

“Correct,” Murphy replied, “We all woke up really hungover and really hungry. To be fair, we searched the house for Advil or Tylenol and couldn't find anything. Your car's blocking Bellamy’s and we couldn't find the key. Please go get us sustenance.” 

Clarke rolled her eyes.

Maya shook her head, “They were going to go down and wake you and hour ago, but I told them to let you sleep and to stop being babies.”  

“That’s why she’s my favorite of you all,” Clarke said as she walked away with her coffee.

“Hey, where are you going?” Bellamy called out.

“To bring your sister to see her boyfriend and to bring back food for your morons so we can all come back to life and figure out what we’re going to do today,” she replied, already making her way back down the stairs to the basement to get ready.

“Does anyone find it weird we decided to take a 10-day trip to a skiing destination, when none of us have ever skied or snowboarded or cares to learn?” Monty asked, from his horizontal position on the couch.

“I think Clarke planned this week to get away from the hustle and bustle of life, forgetting that all we’re going to do is annoy her,” Raven smirked.

___

The drive to the store they visited the previous night looked so different in the daylight. They were in the mountains and everything around them was snow-capped. The winds and twists and turns of the mountain road provided the pair the most breathtaking views they had ever seen. It was something that could have been straight out of the movies.

“Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?” Clarke asked, truly in awe of her surroundings.

Octavia nodded, “Yes. Lincoln. Focus on the road, Griff.” 

Clarke rolled her eyes, “I’m serious, O. Look at it all. The mountains and the trees all covered in snow. The sunlight shining down on everything, making the whole place look like sheer magic. Like there's a layer of white glitter on top of everything.” 

“I know, I know. It actually is magical. I’m glad we’re all here together,” the brunette smiled sincerely at her friend.

Octavia wasn’t one for sentimentality. Out of the group, she was probably the most reserved. She had her reasons, and everyone else knew them, so she was never in question. They all loved her for who she was, it’s what made her so special to them.

___

They pulled into the small lot, finding more cars than the night before.

“How do I look?” Octavia asked, adjusting her braid in the passenger mirror of Clarke’s Jeep.

“Beautifully hungover and lustfully in love,” Clarke said, sticking her tongue out of the girl as she hopped out of the vehicle.

The two walked into the store and both were pleasantly surprised. Octavia, because the first thing she noticed was Lincoln standing behind the counter. Clarke, because of the smell of freshly baked breakfast treats and freshly brewed coffee.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” Lincoln asked, his mood exceptionally lightening at the sight of the girls.

“Food. Medicine. Hair of the dog,” Clarke replied, smiling back at the man. 

“Food at the counter. Medicine in the second aisle. You know where the booze is,” Lincoln smiled, now turning his attention to the brunette, “And what are you here for?”

Octavia smirked, "I think you already know the answer to that one."

Clarke rolled her eyes and smiled as she walked away from the banter that was about to ensue. She walked up and down the aisles she previously searched the previous night. She had already made a routine of this supply run: pick something up, read every label in detail, and set whatever it was back down. Almost everything was locally sourced or locally made. She appreciated the handcrafted nature of this store and wanted to learn more about every choice that was made for it.

She made a mental note to ask Lincoln specifically about the maple bourbon combination. There were some items, though few, that were branded as Woods General. Aside from the syrup she saw last night, there were also candles, soaps, and lotions, all seeming that "maple bourbon" was the store's flagship scent or flavor. 

Hoping she gave her friend and her new interest enough time to catch up from the previous eleven hours, Clarke took stock of what she needed she headed to the counter. When she set her items down, she realized the two were nowhere in sight.

“If you’re looking for your friend, I believe she went around back to where are bar is,” the girl behind the counter said, while looking at the combination of things that had been set down.

Clarke nodded in acknowledgment then looked up at the girl and smiled to thank her. She looked like Anya, but different. She was sharp like the girl from the night before, her face and features, as well as her words. But as sharp as she seemed to be, there was a hint of softness to her. The combination of her unruly brown mane and soft green eyes held Clarke's attention for longer than the blonde realized. It took her a little too long to realize she was staring. It took her even longer to realize the girl was staring right back at her.

Breaking the gaze and needing to compose herself from the awkward exchange, “I’m sorry, you look so much like the girl that was here last night.”

“My sister Anya,” the girl offered.

Clarke thought about making a joke about how both girls also speak short and to the point, before realizing that would probably make the situation even more awkward. Thankfully, she kept the thought to herself.

“Right. And your brother Aden was here as well. This is such a lovely place, everything about it is so…” Clarke was trying to find the right words, the words for the environment and atmosphere, the words for the people they have working for them, the words for the family that runs it, the words for the reason she had run out of words, “…so lovely,” she mentally kicked herself for not being able to articulate herself. 

“Right. You said that already.”

Clarke couldn't help to think that she had made a fool of herself, but when she finally looked at the girl behind the register, she was suddenly smiling – something she wasn’t doing prior, something that gave Clarke somewhat of a flutter.

Not wanting to embarrass herself any more than she already had, Clarke returned the smile but said nothing else.

“I hear you’re in the market for food for a house full of starving people,” the girl behind the counter said.

Clarke nodded, “You heard correct. Everything looks delicious. Would you mind putting a few of your favorite things together? There are eight people in total.”

She watched as the brunette looked down into the food counter. She was carefully selecting each and every item. Clarke noticed that the girl wasn’t just taking the first of every available baked good – she was moving things around, finding the ones that had the least imperfections, meticulously choosing exactly what she wanted to hand over to her.

As she finished, she took note of the other things the blonde had set down: a bottle of Tylenol, three bottles of water, a bottle of Jameson, three six-packs of a local craft IPA, and a small Woods General Maple Bourbon candle.

“Cause and effect?” The brunette asked.

A bit confused, Clarke raised a brow, “Excuse me?”

“The whiskey my sister illegally sold you last night. Causing your need for water and medicine. Which will effectively make you feel better to have more whiskey and beer,” the girl stated, half smiling this time.

“Right," the blonde nodded, "I’m Clarke by the way,” she offered, not knowing what to make of the conversation. Clarke was normally one to get along with everyone she encountered, but she could not, for the life of her, pick up the vibe of the person standing nearly one foot away from her. 

“Hi Clarke. Lexa,” the girl responded, introducing herself. She continued, “Hopefully this cause and effect will have you coming by here more often.”


	2. You’ve Answered Your Own Question

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 6/1/19: Made some edits to this chapter. Cleaned up some typos, reworded minor parts. Nothing major has changed.
> 
> -L

“I can’t believe you invited him over for a ‘home-cooked’ meal, O.” Clarke kept her eyes on the road as she spoke to her friend, "You don't even know how to cook."

They were on their way back to the cabin from Woods General, clad with everything they promised to bring back home for their friends – plus the promise of a homemade dinner, in which Clarke knew she was going to have to conjure up, even though she wasn't not the best of chefs.

“You’ll figure something out, you always do,” Octavia responded, fully knowing that her friend would help her dig herself out of the hole she dug herself into, “one thing lead to another and it just came out, I’m sorry.”

“Listen, you know I love you and would do anything for you. I’m happy to partake in this, but just know that if you want to impress him, my cooking won’t do that,” Clarke smiled, knowing fully well that her friend already understood the situation they were in.

To Clarke’s dismay, the ride felt shorter that it did the previous night and she hated that the beautiful sights of the mountains were about to come to an end as they approached the street their rental was on. She also wished they could have a little more quiet time in the car, she knew the house will be full of chaos. She loved her friends, she loved these trips, but she wanted some time to soak up what Lexa said to her in the store.

_Cause and effect._

_Hopefully this cause and effect will have you coming by here more often._

She also couldn’t shake the stare they shared. Not sure of what to make of the combination of that and Lexa’s loose invitation to come by more, Clarke couldn't even begin to decipher what to make of the encounter. Maybe Lexa says goodbye to all of her customers that way. She was, in fact, the business owner – it only made sense that she wanted repeat customers. And the look they gave each other, the eye contact that only broke because Clarke looked away? Well, they had met Anya the night before and she was a rather serious person. It must be the Woods’ blood, the girl thought.

“Hello, earth to Clarke.” Octavia snapped her out of her daze. “Are you just going to sit there with the keys in the ignition or are you going to help me bring all of this stuff inside?”

The car was already parked, they were already in the driveway of the house.

“Sorry, I just had something on my mind. Let’s go,” Clarke said, finally opening the door to get out of the Jeep.

“Yeah, no shit. Gonna tell me what it’s about or will I have to coerce you after you drink another half bottle of that whiskey of yours?” Octavia joked. She was right, though. Give Clarke a whiskey and she was a happy girl. Give her two and she was your best friend. Give her three and all of her deepest, darkest thoughts were yours for the taking.

“There will be no coercion, not after what I’m about to do for you. Let’s feed everyone and then see who would be in the mood for a grocery store trip. We might as well, especially since we’re having a dinner guest and a house full of eight people with literally nothing to eat for the week,” and with that, Clarke opened the door to the house to be greeted by an ambush.

“If only you guys were always this happy to see us,” Octavia rolled her eyes, as the boys grabbed the bags and started rummaging.

“Headache pills, please. Now. Help me, please,” Raven said from the table, watching the guys picking at the croissants and breads and pastries that Lexa had so carefully picked out, unbeknownst to them all.

A hand from the table, unsure of who it actually belonged to, quickly swiped the pill bottle and a bottle of water her way, and retreated back to the bag of baked goods. That’s the kind of friendship this group shared. No matter what, they took care of one another, even if meant taking a break from eating.

“What’s the plan today, Clarke?” Monty asked, still in the same position he was on the couch when she and Octavia left for their morning errand.

“Big plan, actually,” Clarke smiled as she looked at Octavia, who was now not feeling so confident in the activity that everyone would have to embark on, “We’re having a special guest tonight for a home-cooked meal and we also need food for the week so I don’t have to keep driving to the general store every morning to feed you animals, since we all know it would end up being me doing all that work, so… family trip to the grocery store.”

“Wait, who’s coming for dinner?” Bellamy asked, looking between Clarke and his sister. Clarke who was smirking, knowing that he was going to get annoyed, Octavia had her eyes bugged out because she knew the same.

“I left an open invitation for the staff of Woods General because they’ve been so great,” Clarke jumped in, not wanting there to be a scene caused due to Bellamy’s overprotectiveness of his younger sister, “I believe Lincoln is the only one that definitely confirmed he could come, but we’ll see about the rest. We met the other owner today, Anya’s sister.”

“Thank you.” Octavia mouthed to her friend.

“Was she as hot as Anya, though?” Raven asked, now very interested in the conversation.

“I mean, they have good genes. We can leave it at that,” Clarke said, rolling her eyes.

“When have you not been one to ogle over a hot girl, Griffin?” Murphy asked, “I mean seriously, you and Reyes usually have pissing competitions over who could verbally objectify attractive women the most.”

“One, Murphy. That is not true. I am not a pig, but I do appreciate the attractiveness of any human. Two. Okay, yes. She was just as attractive as her sister. Maybe even more,” Clarke countered, shaking her head and smiling as Raven approached her for a high five that went unreciprocated.

“Hope they both come tonight, if you know what I’m saying,” Raven smirked.

Clarke looked at her friend with distaste, as she normally did when Raven would make comments of that sort.

___

“You guys, please stop with all the random crap,” Clarke was frustrated. No, She was more than frustrated. She always got stuck pushing the grocery cart and she always had to remind her friends that they didn't need ten bags of every kind of chip.

“At least you won’t have to keep making morning runs to the general store to feed us every day,” Jasper said, arm slung around Maya.

“Clarke’s right, we’re about to spend $60 on junk food alone, and half of us don’t even eat that crap,” Maya said, looking to her boyfriend.

Clarke grinned at the girl's comment, “See? That’s why Maya’s my favorite."

“I bet Clarke wants to make those morning runs to the general store, that way she could ogle at the certified hottie that was there,” Murphy smirked, bringing up the conversation from earlier at the house.

“Enough. All of you. One more word and I’m abandoning this cart and having one of you other delinquents deal with it,” Clarke said, moving the cart down the aisle, desperately in search of the poultry section. She figured chicken was something easy enough to conjure up for a group their size, she could easily look up a recipe for a whole roasted one to try and pass off as edible for their dinner tonight.

She kept wandering until she found her destination. She scanned through the assortment before her, picking a whole chicken up and putting it back down, doing it multiple times, not really knowing exactly what she was looking for.

“Clarke.”

She jumped, not realizing anyone was so close by. It took her a moment, but she realized where she remembered the voice from. And goodness, that voice. The way she pronounced her name, it was like she was trying to make the biggest of statements with the way her tongue clicked while pronouncing that last ‘k.’

“Lexa,” she paused for a beat to regain composure, “Hi, what brings you here? Well, I guess that’s a stupid question. It’s a grocery store so I guess you’re grocery shopping,” Clarke babbled, wanting to sew her mouth shut as to relieve herself from anymore embarrassment. So much for trying to regain composure.

“You’ve answered your own question,” Lexa wore a small smile.

That smile. It mirrored the one she gave Clarke earlier. The brunette must have wanted to talk to Clarke, she thought to herself. They barely knew each other, yet here she was going out of her way to say hello at the grocery store. On the other hand, maybe she was looking for a chicken to pick out as well and didn’t want to seem rude by not acknowledging her. She realized she had zoned out.

“Got a certain ‘certified hottie’ consuming your mind?” Lexa asked, her question admitting to Clarke that she had overheard the conversation between her friends just a few aisles over.

At that very moment, Clarke thought about abandoning her grocery cart, running out of the store, getting in her car, driving back to Brooklyn, leaving her friends, and never returning.

“You heard that,” Clarke stated.

“I did," Lexa nodded, "and I supposed Linc is a ‘certified hottie,’ but I think your friend – Octavia, was it? – may have his attention,” Lexa smirked.

“Wait. No, that wasn’t who... I mean… That was nothing, and yeah, Octavia's attention has certainly been captured,” Clarke didn’t know what else to say, but she knew she had to stop babbling the way she was.

At work, she always seemed to find herself in the most critical and tense moments she had ever known. How was she not able to pull herself together for a conversation with a someone who was basically a stranger at the grocery store? She needed to save herself before Lexa started to think she was a total moron. Where was the Clarke Griffin that used to ooze with confidence?

Clarke took a breath, “Actually, Octavia invited him over tonight for a home-cooked meal. Little secret between us? Octavia isn’t the best of cooks. Neither am I, but I suppose I am a good friend and I’m going to try to help her out.”

“Looks like we’re both good friends,” Lexa chuckled.

“Why’s that?”

“Lincoln told her he would make an appetizer to bring over for everyone,” Lexa rolled her eyes.

“Right. And here you are,” Clarke stated, now feeling a bit more comfortable, and also thankful to Lincoln that he couldn’t cook either.

“And here I am,” Lexa smiled.

This was her chance to get back on her A-game, “I have an idea, if you’re open to it. Would you like to join us for dinner? We’ll have more than enough. Maybe you can come by a bit earlier and we can figure out the kitchen together?”

“Well, Clarke, lucky for you, I have no plans. I’m also quite handy in the kitchen,” Lexa smirked, a different smile of hers that Clarke hadn’t seen on this encounter or their previous one earlier in the day. “Lincoln mentioned where the house was, he said he had to be there around 6:30. I can come around 5 and help you get that bird prepped and ready to roast. That is, if you can finally settle on one.”

Clare raised an eyebrow, “You saw that?”

“I most certainly did. See you at 5, Clarke,” and with that, Lexa disappeared as quickly as she had shown up.

Clarke stood there, a bit awestruck at Lexa’s short, yet calm demeanor. Awestruck of how the sound of her name rolled off the other girl’s tongue so effortlessly, yet with purpose. And a bit perplexed at how she was going to get through an afternoon of cooking and an evening of hanging out with her without embarrassing herself again.

\---

“You lost me, Griffin,” Raven said, mid-chew and hand-deep inside a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos, “You said you invited the whole staff or whatever earlier, didn’t you?”

“Well that was technically a lie,” Clarke looked at Octavia, then back to Raven, “Either way, now I’m fairly certain Lexa is coming and I already feel like I’ve made an idiot of myself.” She was now freaking out at the idea of the girl showing up at the house in just a few hours to teach Clarke how to cook.

“I don’t understand what the big deal is, Clarke. You’re acting like it’s the end of the world. This, how did you describe her on the car ride back here? ‘Insufferably beautiful’ girl is coming to our place for dinner because you invited her and you’re acting like a spaz.” Raven was rolling her eyes at this point. This wasn’t the Clarke Griffin she knew and loved, that Clarke was confident, outgoing, and got what she wanted. The girl standing before her was in shambles, and for no exact reason at all.

“I’m going to have to take Raven’s side here, Clarke. You’ve interacted with her twice, both times no longer than five minutes. Get your shit together and man up.” Octavia said, unloading some of the groceries into the fridge.

“Okay, maybe I am overreacting,” Clarke huffed.

Raven laughed at her friend’s concession, “You think?”

Raven and Octavia hurried to put everything away, finding a home for each and every grocery item they purchased. Clarke, however, took her time. She was too busy the previous night playing outside and building a fire in the fire pit, she was too busy consuming herself with her friends and a bottle of whiskey. It wasn’t until now that she took the time to sit down and truly take in the sight of the house they were in. The details and the decor were almost reminiscent of Woods General with its modern farmhouse feel, something the girl didn’t realize was such a trend in this little ski town.

As she finished with putting everything away, she decided to have a look around the house and explore the rooms she hadn’t yet been inside. All six bedrooms, beautifully furnished, all housing little trinkets and things that made each room unique. Every bathroom, clad with beautifully tiled floors and walls, telling a story with the designs woven in and out of them.

The house was gorgeous, and it wasn’t brand new by any means. The crew had to constantly keep the wood burning stove fueled in the main room and basement den to ensure the house was properly heated during their stay, but the renovations that were done? They were done with purpose, and Clarke appreciated that.

“Nice little home you found us, Clarke,” Bellamy startled her.

It was the second time that day she thought she was alone in her own world and consumed with her own thoughts when someone encroached her space. She was accustomed to this with Bellamy though. After all, he was basically like her older brother. And the girl at the grocery store? The more thought Clarke gave to it, the more she would be okay with Lexa encroaching her space again.

Clarke smiled at the boy and started to walk with him down a brightly lit hall, thanks to the skylights over the tops of their heads, “I didn’t have time to soak it all in when we got here yesterday. The whole house is so beautiful. Everything about this place feels like it tells a story,” she touched a sturdy-looking wooden frame fixed onto the wall, housing what looks to be an old map of Vermont with a heart drawn next to the name of the town they were in.

“Doesn’t it sort of remind you of that store we stopped at last night? All the stuff and the floors and things?” Bellamy asked as he looked around, and not able to find the words to describe his thoughts.

“So eloquently spoken, Bell. Yes, it does. The furnishings and decor...” she said, hoping to have helped him find the phrases he was looking for, “is incredibly reminiscent of Woods General.”

“Speaking of, it wasn’t you, was it?” The boy asked. They stopped walking and were now back where Clarke had left a few groceries on the counter, his eyes now looked down to the ground, not necessarily looking at the pattern of the hardwood floor they were admiring nearly seconds ago.

She knew where he was getting at. This had to be about Octavia, but she wasn’t going to be so quick to throw her friend under the bus to her big brother, “What wasn’t me?”

“She invited him here, right? And you covered for her so I wouldn’t get ridiculously overprotective – which I know I do.”

“Look, Bell. We all met him last night and he was great. Sure, she’s taken a bit of a liking to him and they talked this morning at the store, too. There’s no harm,” Sshe gave the boy in front of her a warm, reassuring smile. She knew he meant well, even though his demeanor didn’t help make his case, “We’re here for a good amount of time and there’s no sense in not making any new friends.”

“Ten days, Clarke. I just don’t want to see her get hurt. She never acts like this with guys and I don’t know why she’s choosing now as the time to actually get to know someone. We’re here for ten days, she’s never going to see him again,” The boy was frustrated.

“You need to let her be, Bell. She’s a big girl, she knows what she’s doing.” 

Nothing more was said. The boy looked at his friend and nodded, understanding what Clarke was saying. He cracked the faintest of smiles at her before he walked to the living space where the rest of their friends were.

\---

“Did you really make us come on this trip to work?” the boy with the ski goggles whined.

“Jasper, if you want the house to stay warm, you’re going to have to split the wood faster than that. I’ve seen you with an axe before, bust a move,” Clarke laughed as Jasper, Octavia, and Bellamy all took turns chopping the cords of wood into smaller pieces to fit into the wood-burning stoves.

"Yeah, Jasper," Raven chimed in as she clapped her hands together, "Chop chop!"

“You’d think the owners of this house would have upgraded the heating system since it’s so big, right?” Monty asked, not helping the others with the physical labor, but at least bringing the freshly chopped wood to the doorway to later bring inside.

“Maybe they like the nostalgia of doing this, though. Maybe it reminds them of a simpler time,” Clarke thought, her mind was wandering to whoever owned the house. She was picturing a couple in their mid-forties sipping coffee on the front porch, looking out at the mountains and trees across from it. She couldn’t stop thinking how happy she would be with that. Clarke surely appreciated the view and serenity more than she minded the cold, “I wonder if we’ll end up meeting the owners, and I wonder if they live here or if they use it as a rental.”

“I wonder if I’ll ever get to use my ski goggles for anything. These things cost $80,” Jasper said, pointing to the goggles, still affixed to the top of his head.

“I told you not to buy those,” Maya said, rolling her eyes as she walked away from her boyfriend, “You don’t even have a proper winter coat, what makes you think that you needed goggles?”

“It’s a look, babe,” He said, pulling them over his eyes, and posing as if he was ready to hit the slopes.

Clarke shook her head at the two. They just started dating a few months prior, meaning Maya was a new addition to their group. Though she wasn’t particularly close with the girl, she was happy that she entered their lives. For one, she calmed Jasper down immensely. The boy was known for his bouts of anxiety and overall jitteriness. It seemed Maya was the cure for all of that. And aside from that, the girl did bring a positive energy to the sometimes brooding group.

She continued to roll her eyes at her boyfriend, but turned her attention to Clarke, “I just wanted to thank you again for letting me crash this trip of yours. I know you’re usually the planner of the group, but I know you’ll be busy attempting to make dinner. Did you want me to look up a few activities we could do during the week?”

“Again. This is why Maya is my favorite. Probably out of every single person here,” Clarke said, smugly looking at her two best friends.

“That’s just rude to say,” Raven scoffed, though knowing Clarke was only half serious.

Octavia laughed, then jumped in, “Listen, blondie. You always know what you’re getting yourself into when you’re with us. If you left it to us, Raven would make us hit up every strip club in town – granted there probably are none here – and I would just make everyone sit by the fire for the full week.”

The girl was right, and Clarke knew it. However, at that point, she didn’t think she would have a problem being outside and just sitting by the fire, day and night. She needed to take her mind off things. Thankfully the past 24-hours were able to do that for her, and all she wanted to do was extend that feeling through their full stay in this wonderland. However, something in the back of her head told her that she wouldn't be able to do that, she couldn’t brush off her responsibilities so easily. She also couldn’t brush off the reason why she picked this location for their trip, or the reason she hasn’t told her friends why.

That was for another time, though. Maybe during the trip, maybe when they got home, just not for this exact moment.

\---

A few hours had gone by. Time spent chopping more wood and filling the stoves, time spent listening to music and playing their favorite songs on repeat, time spent kicking back and sharing a beer, time spent playing cards, time spent together. There was no real plan for that afternoon, the group of friends knew that they would be able to have a good time in any situation. The only plan that truly existed was spending quality time with each other, which they did. And that was Clarke’s main goal for this trip.

“How do I look?” Clarke asked Octavia, who was standing behind her in the bathroom.

“Oh how the tables have turned, Griff,” Octavia smiled at her friend, still looking at each other through the large bathroom mirror.

“Time check?” Clarke asked, fixing her hair one last time.

From the nearby bedroom with the door opened to be able to still partake in the conversation, Raven looked down at her phone to see how much more time Clarke had before Lexa’s tentative arrival time, “4:54. T-minus 6 minutes until lift off!”

“It’s now or nev-“ Clarke was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell, “I’m going to barf.”

There were plenty of people in the house, Clarke wasn’t worried about hauling up the stairs. She knew someone would open the door for the first guest of the night. As she slowly made her way up the stairs from the basement to the main floor and through to the front of the house, she noticed Maya smiling and exchanging niceties with the girl standing in the doorway. Lexa was bearing a big grin, bigger than one she let out for Clarke earlier. It wasn’t that the blonde was jealous, but she just had to wonder why there seemed to be much more reservation when it came to her. But again, as per usual, she was probably just overthinking it.

“Clarke,” Lexa said, seeming to grow accustomed to greeting the other girl by only stating her first name. As she did, her demeanor changed. The big grin gradually developed into a smaller, but kinder one. 

“Thank you for coming. It’s good to see you. Again. For the third time in one day,” Clarke chuckled, and she could have sworn her comment made Lexa smile just a tad bit more than the girl already was. She gestured through the entryway to where the kitchen was, leading Lexa further into the house.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? We lucked out with this one,” Clarke said, eyes wandering around the kitchen, eyes then landing on Lexa’s own.

It was reminiscent of earlier that morning, nearly seven hours ago. This time, the second time around, it didn’t feel as awkward. This time around, it was Lexa who broke the gaze.

“We should start. Lincoln’s always punctual.”

Clarke looked down at her watch and back up at Lexa, “Guess we could say the same for you also.”

“Birds of a feather,” Lexa said, emptying the groceries she had from two canvas tote bags. She looked to Clarke and continued, “I know you got the chicken, and I’m sure you’ve looked up recipes, but I’d like to share one of mine with you if you were open to it.”

“Sounds like a plan to me. I was just going to throw some of this on it and put it in the oven for however long Google told me to,” Clarke shrugged, holding up a small container of what looked to be decades-old dried oregano.

This actually earned a laugh from Lexa, “You’ve got to be kidding me, right?” Lexa crept up closer to the other girl and started moving several other ingredients from her two bags towards her. She was now standing so close to Clarke that the blonde could feel her body next to hears, and Clarke obviously didn’t mind.

Lexa started picking up ingredients, placing them in Clarke’s hands one after the other, as if the girl was formally introducing her, and naming them.

“Fennel.”

“Onion.”

“Garlic.”

“Lemon.”

“Fresh rosemary.”

“Fresh thyme.”

“Celery.”

“Carrots.”

“Butter.”

She was done, and Clarke was upset. With each and every ingredient placed gently into her hand and then replaced with another, the soft skin of Lexa’s hand also found a place atop Clarke’s.

Lexa smiled, “There’s more to it than just cooking it at the right temperature for the right amount of time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you found any typos, blame @kay_be.
> 
> Just kidding. Thank you for proofing this chapter. :)


	3. And You Chose Something With My Name On It

Lexa should have known what she had gotten herself into at the very moment she encountered Clarke at the grocery store, not knowing how to pick out a whole chicken. She should have really known what she had gotten herself into at the very moment Clarke held up the dried oregano, thinking that was the only flavoring tonight’s bird was going to get.

When Lincoln told her about his plan for the evening, she was all ears. The two friends, inseparable since childhood, were always in lock-step with each other. He talked her ear off the night prior about a beautiful girl who stopped by Woods General that was traveling to their small town from out of state, he told her that he wished Lexa would have emerged from her office to see who he was talking about. What he failed to mention was the beauty of her friend, the blonde she had met earlier that morning.

She had her reasons for accepting the invitation, one of them certainly being intrigue. Though quick and fleeting, she couldn’t shake the eye contact she held with Clarke. Both at her store and later in the day. 

Clarke.

She liked the sound of the girl’s name. She enjoyed the way it rolled off her tongue, the way her mouth snapped the last ‘k,’ giving it more bite. She liked the way Clarke had reacted during both encounters, she knew the girl was flustered and lost for words: both the first time they locked eyes, and when Lexa made it known she had overheard the girl’s conversation with her friends.

Though, truth be told, as confident as Lexa normally was, she still didn’t know if Clarke’s friends were teasing her about Lincoln or herself, maybe even her sister. She figured the best way to make a conclusion would be to head to the beautiful house and find out for herself. Subtly, of course. That was Lexa’s way: calm, collected, and efficient.

—-

“So what next?” Clarke asked, surprisingly looking forward to the tasks ahead of them. Lexa has just shown the girl a tattered index card, yielding the recipe for tonight’s meal. Every ingredient that previously touched Clarke’s hand with a subtle touch of Lexa’s, all written in neat, beautiful, script.

“We begin.” Lexa smiled, relaxed that the other girl seemed to be relaxed as well. Cooking was something she didn’t always have time for, but it was something that she always yearned to do when life felt like too much for her. When dealing with the stresses of the store, the other family businesses, making sure her younger brother was getting the upbringing he deserved, cooking was what one of the only things she resorted to when she needed an escape.

It was something she would do in solitude, and other than Anya or Aden, this is the first time she had someone by her side while preparing. Well, someone and that someone’s seven best friends, draped throughout the rooms of the house they were in.

“The butter might melt, should I put it in the fridge?” Clarke was taking count of the items they had sprawled out on the thick, poured concrete countertops.

“Leave it. We need it softened to make a rosemary and garlic butter.” Lexa said, not looking up from meticulously breaking up three whole heads of garlic.

Clarke didn’t buy any bread, she wasn’t entirely sure what the butter was for. “What’s it for exactly?”

“The chicken. To put between the skin and the meat, it will help brown the bird. It will also help flavor it impeccably.” She was too busy with the garlic to take time to look up at Clarke.

“And how exactly does the butter get between the skin and the meat?” For the past ten minutes, being with Lexa and watching her prep to make everything ready for the meal, Clarke had felt so at ease. Though the other girl didn’t speak much, she felt much more comfortable than she did during their past two run-ins. The comfort immediately stopped when she realized what Lexa gestured.

Clarke stared with her mouth agape between Lexa and Clarke’s own hand. “No, no way. No way am I doing that. I don’t even cook, Lexa. You’re the one that likes doing this, I’m sure you’ve done it a million times before. You’re basically a pro compared to me, so I think it’s safer if you do.” She stopped for a breath, “On second thought, this all happened because of Octavia. I could go get her from outside and she can do her part.”

Lexa rolled her eyes, “Calm down, Clarke. You’ll be doing it. It’s not as bad as it looks, and everyone’s taste buds will swear fealty to you after they have a bite.”

“Will you as well, then?” Clarke asked, not realizing how flirty the question came out until it left her mouth. It wasn’t so much the words, it was more so her huskier tone that whispered her question out.

“Not me personally, but perhaps my taste buds will.” Lexa pursed her lips into a grin, hoping these bits of banter would keep pulsing through the evening.

“Remind me to remind you to bow down to me after everyone enjoys their meal tonight.” Clarke motioned a fake bow towards nothing in particular.

“Remind me to remind you who’s in charge of this kitchen.” Lexa rebutted, smiling at the blonde across from her who was pretending to feign insult.

“You act like you own the place.” Clarke scoffed, earning a shrug from the other girl. She smiled and continued, “I love garlic, but cutting that all up... doesn’t that get annoying?”

“It’s therapeutic.” Lexa replied, setting the knife in her hand aside.

“Having a knife in your hand is therapeutic for you? Remind me to never get on your bad side.” Both girls chuckled and Lexa started chopping again. “But really, isn’t that annoying? So much of it that you have to cut into teeny, tiny, pieces. I love the taste of it, but I never cook with it.”

“If you love it, why don’t you use it?” Lexa was confused at this statement.

“It makes your fingers so sticky, I can’t deal with sticky, dirty fingers.” It happened again. Clarke didn’t realize what she was saying until the words left her mouth. The damn tone of her voice. She realized how it sounded, and looked up to see Lexa looking right back at her with an alarmingly raised brow.

“That’s unfortunate, I suppose.” Lexa kept chopping the ingredients in front of her, “it’s a shame to miss out on such pleasantries because of such a minor detail. If you like what it does in your mouth, why let the issue with your fingers get in the way?”

Clarke opened her mouth, though this time no words came out. She closed it, then opened it again, still lost for words. Did Lexa really just make a sexual innuendo?

Now feeling a bit smug, as she had accomplished to leave Clarke speechless, “That’s the same look you had when you were trying to pick out a chicken.” 

“You’re a jerk.” Was all Clarke could muster out, seeing the pleasure on Lexa’s face from leaving her without a proper response. It wasn’t that Clarke’s vocabulary had gone out the window, the girl was smart and well-spoken. It was the fact that the intoxicatingly attractive girl standing before her could have potentially just made a pass at her.

Smugness still clinging to Lexa’s demeanor, “Not a jerk. You’re just upset that I’m right.”

As Clarke still stared at Lexa with a slight wince in her eye, showing the other girl she was annoyed, Lexa gave her a wink and a smirk, “We still have a meal to cook.”

\---

“For a girl who can’t deal with ‘sticky, dirty fingers’ you just really jumped the gun.” Lexa smiled, pleased at the sight in front of her.

Clarke ran towards the trash bin, throwing the gloves away, her face telling the story of how she really felt. “I violated a chicken and now I feel violated. Lexa Woods, you have entirely violated my whole being in a matter of minutes.”

“Me violating you? You’re acting like that would be a bad thing.” The girl was feeling more confident than ever now. It was clear to her that their banter was borderline flirting, and if Clarke wasn’t backing down on it, Lexa was surely going to dial it up. “I’m not done with you yet though.”

Not quite sure where this was going, Clarke gave the girl a smile, “Oh?”

And with that, Lexa threw another pair of clean gloves at the girl. “The onions, rosemary, and thyme aren’t going to stuff themselves.”

“You’re getting a kick of out of this, aren’t you?” Clarke scoffed.

“More than you could possibly image.”

\---

“We did it!” Clarke exclaimed, putting the roasting pan in the oven and setting down the timer that Lexa had handed her.

“Actually, you did it. You’re roasting a chicken, Clarke.” Sure, Lexa provided the recipe, brought all the ingredients, cut everything up for the other girl, but Clarke was the one that handled the rest.

Smiling at the brunette in front of her, “Now it’s time to get cracking on whatever you told Lincoln you were making for him. We have 45 minutes, is that enough? I’m sorry if that took longer than expected…”

“I’m a much better friend than you, Clarke.” Lexa let out. “Octavia is here, I didn’t want her to see me cooking something that Linc is supposed to walk through the door with. I made something earlier and brought it to him to bring for himself.”

“I guess you are a better friend. So, what now?”

Lexa wandered to the edge of the counter, smiling as her emerald green eyes locked with the candle sitting there. “Have you burned it yet?”

“No, it smelled so pretty, I didn’t want to waste it on my idiot friends. That’s for me to take home as a little reminder of this trip. I always try to bring one thing home that makes me remember something about where I’ve visited.”

“And you chose something with my name on it, how fitting.” Lexa had only known the girl from the start of the day, but the afternoon they just had made her feel quite comfortable talking to her this way.

“It smells like heaven.” Clarke smiled, “So yes, it smells delicious and it has your name on it and I guess it will be the happy thing I bring back with me to remember this little vacation.”

“It’s good to know that when you’re back home in Brooklyn, probably having a glass of wine, maybe a beer, with a movie on, or perhaps reading a book, you’ll have that candle lit. Or we could light it now and enjoy it this evening?”

“Beer. Or whiskey. And definitely a book. That’s the optimal candle-lighting vibe. And no, it’s my souvenir.” Clarke protested.

Lexa chuckled and then grinned as she reached into the drawers at her waist looking for a lighter. On the third try, she finally found it, “I think I know someone who can bring you another for a souvenir, Clarke.”

“You don’t take ‘no’ for an answer, do you?”

With a smirk plastered on her face, Lexa responded, “You catch on quick. I knew I liked you.”

The words came out quick and seamlessly, Lexa didn’t necessarily mean to say it, and she didn’t know how the girl would take it. But right there and then, she was having a good evening with the blonde in front of her and she wanted to make sure they girl knew it.

Clarke, on the other hand, heard the words and her heart skipped a beat. She understood the context of what the girl was saying, but still couldn’t help but give her a big smile.

“Do you work with a local candlemaker or something to have these made? There were actually a lot of things in the store I noticed that carry the Woods General logo on them.” Clarke was curious, she wanted to know more about the girl in front of her.

“I make the candles, Anya makes the soaps. We work with my uncle Gus to make the syrup. We do it when we all have time… you can tell when each of us is busy with something else, you can tell by what items are missing on the store’s shelves. Guess it’s something we need to work better on.”

Clarke looked at the girl in front of her with a genuine smile, “That’s amazing. And maybe it’s a good thing you just do it when you only have time. Let it be a hobby that you enjoy that keeps you happy, instead of making it about work.”

“Everything is work when you find yourself being a small business owner, I suppose. What about you, Clarke? What’s work, what are your hobbies?”

“I haven’t had a hobby in a while, I guess. If I had to really pick one, it might actually be just trying to organize a trip like this at least once a year with my friends. Work has been consuming every ounce of my last being lately, I’m in my first year of medical residency.” Clarke wondered what the girl would think, now knowing she was a doctor. The way she carried herself earlier in the day, the way she couldn’t articulate herself because of her uneasiness of Lexa’s presence probably lead the brunette to think wasn’t put together enough for that line of work.

“I had no idea, that’s incredible. What are you working on now, what do you want to end up doing? Also, would you like a drink? I brought wine, but my sources tell me you guys also cleared out our beer and whiskey supply at the store.” Lexa smiled, reaching into one of her tote bags for the wine.

Thankful that the girl offered, Clarke figured a drink might help take the edge off. Though she felt comfortable with the girl, she still felt a bout of nerves, “I’ll have a whiskey, actually, if you want that also.”

Lexa smiled for Clarke to continue answering her questions as she grabbed two glasses and a bit of ice for each, pouring a small amount of the Irish whiskey into them.

“Thank you, cheers.” Clarke said, clinking glasses with the girl before she continued, “Right now I’m in trauma – think of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ but with less severe cases. No bombs or subway accidents that leave people impaled to each other, but still some pretty heavy stuff. And I’m not sure exactly what I want to end up doing, but I do like where I’m at now. I’m fulfilled with the work, and I guess that’s what matters.”

Lexa was in awe. She had to admit that she had developed a bit of a crush throughout the day. First, it was how genuinely beautiful she thought Clarke was, when she first saw her in the store. Second, it was Clarke’s nervous demeanor at the grocery. Third, it was the information that the girl was letting up. “That’s amazing, I had no idea, but I suppose I wouldn’t have had a chance to know that until now. I can’t see that being anything less than monumentally fulfilling.”

In tandem, the girls both smiled and took a sip of their drinks, content with the moment as it was. It was up until that moment that Lexa had nearly forgotten they weren’t alone in the house – that Clarke’s friends were scattered throughout the inside and outside.

“I hope I’m not keeping you from your friends.”

“You’re helping me keep my friends fed with good food, but I suppose I’ve been keeping you to myself for far too long…” the blonde trailed off.

Before she was able to continue her thought, Lexa interjected, “I don’t mind that, you know. This was nice.”

“It was, but maybe I should stop being so selfish. Do you want to go outside, I think mostly everyone is out there enjoying a fire.” Clarke smiled, “Not that I wasn’t enjoying this either.” She wanted to make sure the girl knew she was having a fine time as it was.

\---

The pair made their way outside, finding a group sitting around the fire. Maya was sitting on Jasper’s knee with Monty to their right. It seemed the three were in the depths of a discussion about a video game. Octavia and Raven both looked up to try and gauge the situation in front of them, they both knew Clarke was nervous for Lexa to come, and they both knew their best friend was flustered by their guest. Bellamy and Murphy were sitting close also having their own conversation.

“Ah, the certified hottie, here in the flesh.” Murphy said, pulling out a chair next to him, motioning for either of the girl to take it.

At that exact moment, Clarke turned an extremely unconventional shade of red, “You’re a dick, Murphy.”

“Certified hottie, huh?” Lexa said, cocking a brow and beaming at the embarrassment of the girl next to her. “Guess we cleared that up, hm?”

“She overheard you at the grocery store.” Clarke said to Murphy. If looks could kill, Murphy would already be in the fire.

Lexa looked at the seat near the boy that he had just pulled out and walked past it. She instead made her way to the pile of wood and took a larger piece closer to Raven and Octavia before setting it down and joining them.

Clarke snapped out of her embarrassment and realized no formal introductions had been made yet, “Guys, this is Lexa. She and her sister own Woods General, please be on your best behavior.” She followed Lexa’s lead, ignoring the seat Murphy pulled out and taking a piece of wood closer to the girls to sit. She had just spent the last 45 minutes alone with Lexa, but was glad that her two best friends were now in between them, giving her time to shake what Murphy had just exposed out of her head.

After exchanging smaller introductions with the girl next to hear, and knowing Clarke was well within an earshot, Lexa wanted to see if she could push the girl even more. She turned to the blonde’s two best friends, “So, tell me more about this ‘certified hottie.’”

Clarke rolled her eyes, “Murphy’s words, no one else’s.”

The boy just shrugged.

\---

It was a nice evening. The group let the fire die down before heading inside, and they were welcomed back into the house with the smell of the burning candle and a meal they couldn’t wait to devoure. Lexa surprisingly felt at ease with the large group that she barely knew, they were pleasant. It was pleasant to see how they all cared for each other, even through the teasing and jokes, and it was pleasant to see Clarke in her element – taking charge of the group and taking care of them.

Lincoln had arrived, with not only appetizers, but side dishes for the meal. Octavia was swooning, and Bellamy had no choice but to like the man – he was feeding their group and he was also an all-around nice guy.

“You’ve outdone yourself, chef.” Clarke joked, as her and Lexa took the dishes from Lincoln into the kitchen.

“I was helping my friend impress his crush.” Lexa smiled.

“Well, it impressed me too.”

Lexa smiled at the girl, “A job well done, then.”

The blonde smiled back and turned her attention to the broader group, “Everyone, come get things to set the table, please. We have guests.” Clarke shouted to her friends who were strewn through the dining room and living room.

“Looks like you’re not the only commander around here, Commander.” Lincoln joked, jabbing his elbow into Lexa’s side.

Clarke looked between the friends, wrinkling her nose, “Commander?”

“Oh, yeah. It’s what everyone calls her. She can be scary to work for sometimes. Unless she likes you. But still kind of scary.” The man smiled.

“You get scared of her?” Clarke laughed.

He shrugged as he balanced 10 plates in one arm, headed towards the table.

Clarke turned her attention to Lexa, “So, Commander, huh?”

“I prefer ‘certified hottie’ but to each their own.”

Clarke shut her eyes and shook her head. Though she was grateful that her nerves had slightly subsided, she knew she was going to be in for a long night of teasing ahead.

\---

The table was finally set and everyone had a place to sit. The feast looked as amazing as the room had smelled, and everyone was having a wonderful time getting to know the two new additions to the table. Lexa took the seat directly across from Clarke, leaving Clarke wishing the girl chose the seat next to her. Not necessarily to be closer to her, but she started to find it quite hard to stop staring every chance she got.

“Octavia, this chicken is amazing.” Lincoln said, smiling at the girl to his right.

“I have to be honest, I didn’t necessarily cook it. Actually I had nothing to do with it. But the intention was there, if that makes anything any better?” the girl shrugged.

“Ah, so my taste buds were right. This is definitely a Woods recipe, isn’t it?” the man said, now turning to his best friend.

“Clarke actually cooked it, I just watched.” Lexa smiled, nodding to the girl in front of her. “But, yes. It’s a Woods recipe.”

“What’s the consensus for the first meal I’ve actually ever made?” Clarke asked the table. She knew it was amazing, but she wanted to hear it from everyone. This was no small feat for her, especially since she had to violate the chicken. Twice.

Oohs and aahs made their way around the table, as well as jokes from everyone that Lexa was the missing ingredient that could actually get the girl into the kitchen.

Being the incredibly sweet person she was, Maya voiced out, “Stop the teasing, Clarke’s been busy saving lives, let the girl enjoy her takeout and Seamless all she wants.”

“See,” Clarke said, raising her fork and pointing it in the girl’s direction, “that’s why she’s my favorite of you fools.” Now turning to Lexa after the praises of the meal ended, “So how about it, Commander? Are you going to bow down to me?”

“I told you I don’t bow down to anyone in my kitchen.” Lexa replied with a smug grin on her face.

Returning the smug grin, Clarke retorted, “Not your kitchen, you just told everyone that I cooked it. You were basically my sous chef that happened to come bearing the actual recipe, but that’s beside the point.”

“Still my kitchen.” Lexa said, not letting go of the grin she was wearing.

Everyone was confused. They realized there was some sort of inside joke between the two. The table’s focus was all on Clarke and Lexa’s conversation now, and Lincoln was picking up on where this was heading.

“They don’t know?” he asked, taking Lexa’s attention away from the somewhat staring competition her and Clarke were having.

“Know what?” Clarke asked, now diverting her attention to the man.

“Her and her sister own the property.” Lincoln laughed, finding the conversation to be funny.

Lexa took a bite of the food on her place and looked at Clarke, trying not to laugh as well, “It’s very good. Maybe you’ll get a bow from me before your stay is up. You’re going to have to work harder for it, though.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I must say, the first part of this chapter is one of my favorite of the story thus far. :) Hope you all enjoyed. Thanks so much for reading!
> 
> Also, thanks to everyone who found this via tumblr. I'll continue to share with readers there when updates are made available here.  
> https://cantgetoutofmyheda.tumblr.com


	4. I Want There To Be One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for taking the time to read this. Here's a little next filler bit before Day 2 of their winter vacation really begins. :)
> 
> Also - this was not proofread by anyone other than me, so please excuse any typos!

The rest of the meal went pretty well. Everyone at the table truly enjoyed Lincoln and Lexa’s presence, it’s like they brought a breath of fresh air to the group. They listened as the two told stories about the town, gave them ideas of fun things to do during their stay, and offered them bits of advice on how to stay as warm as possible during the extremely cold nights.

Bellamy had truly warmed up to Lincoln, and it showed to everyone, especially Octavia. Lexa noticed the looks between her friend and his new interest and couldn’t have been happier for the man. She had known him nearly her whole life and it was far and few in between when he actually opened himself up like this.

As everyone finished clearing off the large table and cleaning up in the kitchen, Lexa made her way out back to the fire pit. There was chatter amongst the group that they wanted to go back outside, so she figured she could get it roaring for them by the time they finished up inside.

Clarke looked around and noticed Lexa absent from the space. She took a quick walk into the living room and saw the start of a fire being built, and she knew exactly where Lexa was.

“Hey.” Clarke said, bending down to where Lexa was, close to the ground, “Do you need any help?”

“All good out here. You friends were saying they wanted another bonfire, so I figured I’d start it for them.” Lexa smiled back.

“You don’t have to do that, you know. I mean, I’d say you were our guest, but I guess we’re technically yours?” Clarke asked, raising a brow. “When exactly were you going to tell me it was your house, by the way?”

Lexa shrugged, “How many times did I have to say it was my kitchen, Clarke?”

Clarke rolled her eyes, “You know what I mean.”

“I didn’t want you or your friends to think I was here to check up on anything. When Octavia gave Lincoln the address, he didn’t want to say anything to her and make you feel like we were checking up on you, that’s all.” Lexa replied, still focused on growing the flame in front of her.

“Why did you come here, then?” Clarke blurted out, suddenly regretting the forwardness of her questions.

Lexa couldn’t tell why the girl beside her was getting so tense, “Well, Clarke. When someone invites you to something, you either say ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ I chose to say yes.” She shifted her position to be able to poke the wood around, “It seemed like it would be fun and you seemed like an interesting person to get to know.”

Clarke looked at the girl and gave her a small smile, “I’m glad you decided to come.”

“Me too. After all, what would you have eaten?” Lexa joked, “But to be totally honest here, it’s good to see the house still standing. I know how much booze you bought from the store, glad to see nothing in the house has been broken yet, but I suppose this is really only day one, huh?”

“We’re responsible and respectable, don’t worry.” Clarke grinned.

Lexa looked up and smiled back at the girl, “Responsible and respectful? Where’s the fun in that?”

“The fun doesn’t come from either of those things, but I promise I have it in me. If you hang around long enough, you could likely have a first-hand view of things.” Clarke laughed, “How about I bring out a bottle of whiskey so we can have a drink while you do this, and I can ask you a bunch of questions I have for you?”

Lexa raised a brow at the girl, “It depends on the questions…”

“Nothing too invasive during the first drink, no promises while we’re on the second, though. Nothing is untouchable during the third.” Clarke smirked as she got up to quickly retrieve the bottle.

She hustled into the kitchen to locate the bottle and some glasses while everyone was still washing and drying the dishes and putting leftovers away into the fridge. She asked if they needed help, but thankfully everyone told her that since her and Lexa cooked, they should be able to relax for a bit.

By the time she got back outside, the fire was bigger, and Lexa looked content. She moved from her position on the ground to a seat further away from the door. She took a seat in the chair closest to Lexa’s and handed the girl both glasses to hold while she poured a more than generous amount of libation.

Lexa eyed the glass in her hand questionably, “Are you trying to get me drunk?”

“It was more of a ‘thank you’ for teaching me how to cook.” Clarke winked. “But back to my questions…” she trailed off to take a sip of the whiskey.

“Ah, yes. Let’s see what’s on your mind.” Lexa smiled, also taking a sip.

Clarke smiled back, the warmness of the whiskey bringing color to her cold cheeks, “How old are you?”

“Twenty-eight. And you?”

“Twenty-seven.” Clarke smiled, taking another sip.

Lexa grinned at the girl, “You know, if you take a sip every time you say something, you’re going to be on drink number three in no time, and I’m not sure I’m ready for your untouchable questions, Clarke.”

Clarke laughed, “I can hold my own, thank you very much. Question 2. How many businesses are you a part of?”

Lexa took a sip of her drink, wondering if she should give the girl the long-winded version of the answer or the truncated version. She decided on the latter, “Well, Anya and I both own the store. We also co-own a few properties that we rent out, this obviously being one of them,” she stopped to chuckle, noticing the smirk on Clarke’s face, “we also co-own a tree farm with our uncle Gus. When we have time we tap the trees and make the syrup we sell in the store, we also do Christmas trees around the holidays.”

At this point, Clarke was staring at the girl with her eyes nearly bugging out of her head, “Lexa, that’s a lot. That’s so much for someone so young, that’s incredible. You guys must feel very proud of yourselves.”

“It’s definitely something alright, but I feel like I’m constantly working.” Lexa shrugged, taking a sip and realizing she’s almost finished her drink.

Clarke eyes the girl and sees her glass almost empty, and poured another serving without asking, “Do you feel like you’re working now?”

Lexa smiled, “Far from it. Thankfully. Is it my turn to ask you a question yet? You already got two.”

Clarke smiled, “Go for it, I’m all yours.” She knew how it came out, but she didn’t care at this point. They were a few drinks in and were having a decent enough time getting to know each other. Clarke wanted to test the waters.

“Tell me more about this ‘certified hottie’ situation?” Lexa asked with a devilish grin plastered on her face.

Clarke’s face lost any ounce of coloring to it, it was as if she saw a ghost. She temporarily forgot about all of that, likely because she pushed it to the very back of her head. Even more likely because she was wrapped up in getting to know Lexa, realizing she was way more than just a ‘certified hottie,’ as her friends so eloquently put it.

Clarke straightened up and took a swig of her drink, which earned a chuckle from Lexa who was no longer smirking at the girl, she was just looking at her with kind eyes, “I want it on the record that those words never came out of my mouth. I actually said nothing of the sort.”

Lexa’s smile grew wider, “If you said nothing of the sort, why is it that Murphy has said it twice?”

Clarke rolled her eyes, “Because he’s an idiot. After O and I came back this morning from your store, I had mentioned that we met you. We met your sister last night when we stopped in. Anyway, last night Raven was pretty vocal about how attractive she thought Anya was, so when I mentioned meeting you, she asked if you were as attractive as your sister.”

“What was the verdict?” Lexa asked, eyes on Clarke, lips on her glass.

Clarke took another sip as well, “I’m pretty sure my exact answer was that you guys have good genes.”

Lexa raised her brow and smiled, “Well, Clarke. Since you’re a doctor and all, it feels great to know you think my genes are good.”

Before Clarke was able to respond, the sliding door to the back patio opened and Clarke’s friends started pouring out one-by-one, “So this is where you’ve been hiding. Interesting development, here.” Murphy said, picking up the bottle of whiskey to see how much the pair had drank in the time they were outside, “Leave any for the rest of us?”

“I told you he was a dick,” Clarke said, looking to Lexa, “and yes, we’ve been out here building you a fire since you wanted one. Well, Lexa built the fire, I watched.”

“Thank you, Lexa!” they all said in unison.

“It’s like you trained them.” Lexa laughed to Clarke, before turning her attention to the crowd starting to sit around the fire, “You’re very welcome.”

Raven took the empty seat next to Lexa and asked her similar questions about the house and businesses that Clarke had before. The two got to chatting while everyone else was settling in.

“So,” Lexa started, giving Clarke a glance before turning her attention back to Raven, “I hear you think my sister is quite the looker.”

“What the hell, Clarke?” Raven immediately spat towards her friend, she returned her attention to Lexa, “Listen, I mean no disrespect here, but your sister definitely has the whole dark and mysterious thing going for her.”

“She made me tell her!” Clarke shouted back.

Lexa grinned, “I kind of did make her tell me, so you can give me some of the blame.”

“Well, next time you stop by, bring your sister.” Raven laughed.

“She’d definitely get a kick out of this bunch, I might have to.” Lexa smiled at Raven, then looked back to Clarke, “If there is a next time?”

“If you want there to be one.” Clarke said, nonchalantly sipping her drink, very aware of all the people around them.

Lexa said nothing, just raised a brow at the girl.

Clarke looked up from her drink to the girl, “I want there to be one.”

\---

The thing about this particular group of people was that time always flew by as if it was nothing. What felt like five minutes with them could actually have been five hours. Each and every one of them contributed something so special to their little group, which is what made them such a force to be reckoned with.

“It’s getting late.” Lincoln said, in Lexa’s direction. “Should we head out?”

Lexa looked down at her phone. Her friend was right, how exactly did three hours fly by just like that? It was already nearing midnight.

“Can you drive me back, Linc? I probably shouldn’t be driving in the snow since Clarke’s been trying to get me drunk all night.” Lexa laughed, taking another sip of her straight whiskey.

Clarke laughed, “Hey, I told you. We’re all responsible and respectable. I’d never do something of that nature.”

“Lincoln’s been drinking too, and it’s snowing.” Octavia pointed out, “If you guys want you can crash in the room Raven and I were supposed to stay in and Rae can bunk with Griff and I’ll be just fine on my air mattress.”

Lexa gave Octavia a questioning look, “Air mattress?”

Bellamy laughed, “My sister’s a weird kid. Ever since she was younger, she always preferred to sleep on the floor.”

“I can drive, it’s fine.” Lincoln laughed, smiling at Octavia, finding her floor-sleeping situation rather cute.

“No you won’t man. None of that. Crash here tonight and you guys can sneak out whenever you’re sober enough to drive.” Bellamy said.

He had a knack for being overprotective of his sister. Earlier in the day, the last thing he wanted was this guy coming into their rented house and encroaching on their trip. However, now, after spending some time with him and seeing how well he got along with his sister, he didn’t want to let him get himself into a dicey situation.

Lincoln looked to Lexa who just shrugged at him, “Fine by me if it’s fine by you Linc.”

Lincoln looked to Octavia, “Looks like the evening continues, then.” He turned to Bellamy, “Thanks, man. Appreciate it.”

“No thanks necessary, just looking out.” Bellamy said, “But on that note, I’m tired and I’m going to bed. No funny business.”

Lincoln put his hands in the air, “No funny business, man!” Earning a laugh from everyone, and an eyeroll from Octavia.

“Should we go inside and watch a movie?” Octavia asked, looking around the fire to the rest of her friends.

“Jasper and I are going to bed.” Maya said with a look in her eye.

Monty quickly got up, “Which means I need to fall asleep immediately, because I’m sharing a wall with them and definitely don’t want to be up for that.”

“I’m down.” Murphy laughed, followed by Raven saying she would watch one, too.

“Lexa?” Clarke asked, looking at the brunette next to her who seemed to be in a happy and buzzed state of mind.

Lexa continued smiling, “Sure, but do you happen to have something comfier I can change into? I can wash it and bring it back for you tomorrow.”

Clarke laughed, “Coming to your own house and having to borrow clothes, I bet that’s a first.”

Lexa just grinned.

“Is it? Or do you stay over with everyone else too?” Clarkes eyebrow was now raised.

“It’s a first, Clarke.” Lexa said as she got up, “You’re in the basement, right?”

\---

The TV made a sudden noise that startled Clarke awake. She groggily opened her eyes to look at her surroundings, the room was a mess with pillows and blankets strewn across the floor. The spots on the floor and chairs that contained Murphy, Raven, Octavia, and Lincoln all empty. She looked to her left and Lexa was dozed off, on top of the arm of the couch. Clarke shut the TV off and tried to tidy up a bit when she heard Lexa stir.

“That was a good movie.” Lexa said, rubbing her eyes.

“I’m pretty sure you were asleep for the whole thing.” Clarke pointed out. “You can take the big room downstairs, I can sleep up here.”

Lexa put her hand up, “Don’t be ridiculous, I’m fine on the couch.”

“Actually,” Clarke started, “I bet Raven is in the big bed and Octavia is on the floor, which means you can have the bed next to Lincoln. It’ll be a cute sleepover between you guys.”

Lexa sleepily nodded and followed Clarke down the stairs. When they reached the bottom, Lexa instinctively opened the wood-burning stove to add more wood to keep the room warm throughout the night. When she turned around, she found Clarke standing in front of the air mattress with her hands on her hips, “Well, this is new…”

Raven was dead asleep on Octavia’s bed. She peeked into the room with two beds and found Lincoln in one and Octavia in the other. They looked into her room and Clarke was happy to see that no one drunkenly made their way in there.

“Take the bed, please.” Clarke offered.

Lexa stood in the doorway, “Clarke, I’m not taking your bed from you. You’re a paying customer, remember?”

“No offense, but that couch is not comfortable in the slightest, I’m not letting you sleep on that.” Clarke demanded, still gesturing towards the bed.

“We can share, then. As long as you keep your hands to yourself. “Lexa joked as she finally entered the room, “Do you always make girls sleep in your bed before you go on dates with them?”

The two had both finally crawled into the bed, both on opposite corners with a massive amount of space in between them.

Clarke turned inwards, to face Lexa who to her surprise, was also facing in her direction, “Why do you ask? Are you trying to go on a date with me?”

  
Lexa yawned, fighting the sleep off and smirked, “Maybe.”


	5. How Warm is Your Coat?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for continuing to read this little story of mine. Apologies in advance for any typos!

Before Clarke even opened her eyes, she felt the sun shining on her face. Between the debacle of her and Lexa’s sleeping situation and also being quite tipsy, she forgot to close the blinds the night prior. And it wasn’t until she felt the weight of Lexa’s arm around her waist that she remembered she was sharing her bed with the girl.

She groggily opened her eyes to assess the situation. Her back was to Lexa and the two were spooning rather closely, with Lexa’s arm fully wrapped around her. Clarke looked over to her phone on the nightstand. 6:27am. Way too early to be up.

She looked over her shoulder to see the other girl sleeping peacefully. Her brown hair covering most of her face, and now tussled into Clarke’s blonde locks. She smiled to herself before putting her hand on Lexa’s arm, pulling herself just a bit closer to the other girl, before allowing herself to drift back to sleep. She knew this moment wasn’t going to last forever, so she wanted to make the most of the early-morning moment she was sharing with the other girl.

\---

Clarke awoke for the second time that morning with the brightness of the sun truly penetrating her eyelids. The weight that was across her stomach earlier, no longer there. She turned around to find herself alone in the room, no Lexa in sight. She took in her surroundings and noticed Lexa’s jeans and shirt from the day before, folded nicely and hanging off the back of a chair in the corner of the room. Clarke faintly heard the sound of running water, realizing Lexa was probably in the shower just next door to the bedroom. As Clarke thought about stepping out of bed to investigate, the shower shut off. She decided to stay where she was and wait for Lexa to come back, she thought it would give her more time to figure out what she wanted to say to the girl. The buzz from the night before was gone and she wasn’t feeling as confident as she did then, despite the early morning cuddle. The cuddle that she didn’t even know if Lexa was actually aware of.

Clarke laid on her back, taking the pillow Lexa was using to prop her head higher. She scrolled through a list of activities that Maya had sent her the previous afternoon, some of the things sounding familiar from Lexa and Lincoln’s recommendations, making them much more appealing to the girl.

“So quick to steal my pillow, Clarke. What if I was coming back for that?” Lexa smirked, walking into the room wrapped in a fluffy, white towel around her body, and one around her hair.

Clarke chuckled, “I’m not sure if you noticed, but we basically slept with only one pillow anyway.”

Lexa smiled as she picked up her jeans and shirt from the chair they were resting on, “I’m very aware. I was also awake this morning when you tried to hold hands and pulled yourself closer to me.”

Clarke could have dropped dead at that very second, but then remembered, “If my memory serves me correctly, when I woke up this morning, your arm was already around me and you were already on my pillow. You’re the one that had more extra space behind you, I was basically falling off this side of the bed. So you know what, Lexa? Maybe I do make girls sleep in my bed with me before going on real dates, but you spoon girls before you ask them out.”

Lexa shrugged as she took the towel out of her hair, “And so what if that’s my move?”

Clarke sat up higher in the bed, wanting her eye level not feeling too low compared to Lexa’s, “Well if it is, I guess I’m a lucky girl.”

During the conversation, Clarke noticed that Lexa managed to get her pants on while still wrapped in the towel. With her shirt in her hand, Lexa turned away from her, with her back facing Clarke, “Turn around, no peeking until I say so.”

Lexa smirked and looked over her shoulders to Clarke until the blonde finally contested and covered her eyes with her hands. Lexa laughed and turned around to drop her towel and get her shirt back on.

As soon as Clarke heard the towel hit the ground, she couldn’t help but sneak a peek. She slightly moved her hand, to be able to see through the gaps between her index and middle fingers and saw Lexa slightly hunched over, pulling the shirt over her head and then shoulders. She was surprised by the tattoo Lexa had going up the length of her back. She made a mental note to bring up tattoos later to see if Lexa would tell her about it.

“Can I open my eyes yet? If I keep them closed any longer, I might fall asleep again.” Clarke smiled, wondering if Lexa was looking her way yet.

She didn’t hear Lexa say anything, the next thing she knew, she felt Lexa’s hand remove the shield she had set for herself, and was now two inches away from the other girl’s face. A huge, yet apprehensive, grin spilled from Clarke’s mouth, not really knowing what else to make of the situation.

Lexa leaned in closer, bringing her lips too close to Clarke’s ear for comfort, “You can open your eyes, Clarke.”

Clarke felt a jolt of electricity shoot up her spine and she instinctively let out a sigh as Lexa pulled away from their close proximity. She closed her mouth, which was slightly agape, before taking a deep breath, “How about that date?”

Lexa smiled as she made her way towards the door with both towels in her hand, probably finding the proper place to put them, “I need to head to the store now, but I’ll text you in a bit and maybe we can do something tonight if you’re free?”

Clarke laughed, “If I’m free?” she asked, “I’m on vacation, of course I’m free. And I would very much enjoy that.”

“I would too. Talk to you later, Clarke.” Lexa said, walking out of line of Clarke’s sight.

\---

“Wait, so let me get this straight.” Raven said, standing over the range in the kitchen making a whole lot of bacon and eggs for the group’s breakfast.

Clarke rolled her eyes, reaching across her seat at the kitchen counter to pour herself another cup of coffee, “Rae, you’ve repeated yourself almost ten times already.”

“I mean, I want to hear it again.” Octavia laughed.

“So,” Raven began, “you guys first fell asleep on the couch together.”

“We didn’t fall asleep together, we both just fell asleep and happened to be on the same surface area.” Clarke interjected.

“Still counts.” Octavia added.

Raven started again, “Yup, still counts. Ok, so fell asleep on the couch and then woke and up and both went downstairs. You find me on the air mattress and the love birds in separate beds in the other room, so instead of one of you going back up to the couch like two normal strangers, you climb into bed together.”

“Excuse me,” Clarke demanded, with her arms now folded across her chest, “if me and Lexa are strangers, then so are O and Lincoln.”

“Not true. Sorry, Griff. We met Lincoln the night before and I talked the man’s ear off the whole time. I also had the balls to go up to him and invite him to dinner yesterday morning. You’ve been playing some coy version of cat and mouse with Lexa since the moment you met her. Two very different situations. I happen to grab life by the balls, you happen to need to grow them.” O smiled, proud of her little speech.

Clarke replied, with the most unamused look on her face, “Why am I even friends with the two of you?”

The two other girls shrugged, and Raven continued with her recount of Clarke’s night and morning with Lexa, “Anyway. So you two climb in bed together,” she paused and waited for Clarke to nod in confirmation. Once she did, Raven continued, “and after you got in bed together, you asked her if she was trying to go on a date with you and she vaguely answered.”

Clarke nodded again.

Octavia laughed, stealing a piece of bacon from the serving plate, “See? Coy cat and mouse.”

Clarke rolled her eyes, “Raven, are you done yet?”

“Nope,” the girl answered, “Okay, so this morning after you had that conversation, you thought you woke up before her, but she was actually awake also and just didn’t say anything. She was big spooning you and you put your hand on top of her arm that was holding you and ended up spooning tighter. And then she showered and changed in front of you, hoping you’d honor the fact that your hands were covering your eyes.”

Clarke nodded for what felt like the millionth time in the morning.

Raven nodded back, “Okay. And then she crawled onto the bed, took your hand and moved it, whispered in your ear, and then you asked about the date.”

“For the tenth time this morning, YES.” Clarke said.

Octavia reached for another slice of bacon, and Raven swatted her hand away, earning a laugh from Clarke and a scoff from Octavia. Once Raven turned her back, Octavia grabbed a piece and took a bite, “So when and where is this date, Griff?”

Clarke shrugged, “I don’t know. I think tonight unless something comes up? I’m waiting for her to text me.” She took a sip of her coffee, “What about you and Lincoln, did you make any plans to see each other yet?”

Octavia smiled, “Yeah, we’re going to get lunch tomorrow at some ski lodge he said I’d like,” she paused, “I mean, if that’s okay with you guys. I wasn’t sure what we had planned.”

Clarke gave her friend a soft smile, “Of course that’s okay. And you know us, we don’t make plans until the day begins anyway. I think it’s wonderful that you guys are doing that.”

Raven had poured herself a cup of coffee also and took a sip, “How is it that I’m the only one without some sort of hot winter vacation rendezvous?”

“Lexa did say that Anya would probably enjoy hanging out with us. And Lexa already knows that you think her sister is attractive, so maybe they can come by at some point and you can have your own hot winter rendezvous and stop interrogating me about mine.” Clarke laughed.

Raven raised a brow, “So you’ll admit that you’re having a hot winter rendezvous? And are you going to ask her to do a group hang, instead of a date?”

“No, I’m going to wait for her to text me and see what she had in mind. I wonder what else there is to do around here…” Clarke trailed off. When they drove through the town, there were few bars and restaurants that they passed. Of course, there were the ski lodges and ski resorts, but Lexa also didn’t seem like the kind of girl to hang out at those places, let alone visit one on a first date.

Clarke’s phone buzzed in her lap and she was so excited to see who texted her that she nearly dropped it in her cup of coffee, trying to bring the device closer to her face.

_LW: How warm is your coat?_

_CG: Well, hello to you too, Lexa. It’s pretty warm, I guess._

_LW: Is it a down filled coat?_

_CG: It’s a cute wool coat?_

_LW: Oh boy… Still want to do something later? I have something in mind, but you’ll have to borrow one of mine._

_CG: Sounds mysterious…_

_LW: I can pick you up around 9 if that works._

_CG: That’s a late night date if I’ve ever heard of one. Got another one you’re trying to squeeze in before ours?_

_LW: Ha. No, but it’s a timely kind of thing. We can do something beforehand if you want. I’ll be free pretty early today, I just had to come in to sign for some delivery orders._

_CG: Come back over whenever you want. I’ll be here._

_LW: See you later, Clarke._

Clarke put her phone down, with a slightly confused look on her face.

“What’s the deal, Griff?” Octavia asked.

Clarke wrinkled her nose, “She asked if I had a warm coat and then said she wanted to do something around 9 but also mentioned that she’s done with work soon. It’s 11 in the morning, what on earth kind of date starts in this tiny little town at 9pm, and why do I need a warm coat?”

Raven laughed, “Sounds sketchy, I can’t wait to hear all about it. Maybe she’s into weird shit.”

Clarke rolled her eyes, “That’s not funny, Rae.”

“What’s not funny?” A sleepy Murphy appeared, still in his pajamas, stretching because he had just woken up and lazily walked into the kitchen, likely lured by the smell of bacon.

“Nothing.” Clarke stated, not wanting to give the boy any ammo for the next time Lexa was around.

Murphy shrugged and reached to make a plate of the food in front of him, “How was everyone’s sleepovers?” He eyed both Octavia and Clarke.

Bellamy trailed in behind him, also still in his pajamas, also stretching while he yawned, “I don’t want to hear about any sleepovers, thank you very much.” He scratched his stomach and gave his sister a knowing look.

Octavia rolled her eyes, “Separate beds and nothing happened. Chill.”

\---

Lexa was lost in her own thoughts. In a matter of 24-hours, she was suddenly consumed with thoughts of the blonde that stumbled into her town, into her store, and into one of her houses. What were the odds? She sat at her desk, paperwork piled in front of her, but all she could thing about was the smell of Clarke’s hair. The mixture of soft lavender and the light hint of smoke from the bonfire, two scents that Lexa loved on their own but now combined to make the perfect storm in her mind.

She didn’t realize she was tuned out until she heard someone clear their throat. She looked up to find her older sister, standing in the doorway with two coffees and a smirk on her face, “I drove by a certain someone’s house last night and their car wasn’t in their driveway. That certain someone is also wearing the same clothes she was wearing yesterday.”

Lexa’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink as she stood up and reached for the coffee from her sister, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Anya laughed, “I’m older and wiser, so I think my conclusion is correct.”

Lexa rolled her eyes, “Only by two years, and your conclusion is probably incorrect. We just slept, nothing more.”

“Slow and steady wins the race, kid.” Anya was now taking a seat at a second desk in the office space, “but I think that applies to longer term situations. Aren’t they only here for a week or so?”

Lexa looked at her sister and realized she was right. Clarke was leaving in nine days.

Anya noticed her sister’s demeanor change, “Hey,” she softened her tone, “I didn’t mean it like that. You’re young and you deserve to have some fun. I want you to have fun, Lexa. I haven’t seen you perk up about much in a while, I’m sure this is just what you need.”

Lexa gave her sister a small smile, “We’ll see. We’re going on a date later tonight. If that goes well, you should actually come hang out with everyone. Her friends are very,” she stopped, trying to find the right word, “interesting.”

“You’re really selling them hard, Lex.” Anya rolled her eyes.

Lexa smirked, before raising her brow, “One of them thinks you’re cute. Maybe you could have a little fun yourself.”

With the tables now turned, Anya gave her sister a dirty look before tackling her own stack of papers.

\---

“What’s the plan for today?” Murphy asked, mouth full of a breakfast sandwich he put together with Raven’s cooking.

Clarke picked up her phone to look at the list from Maya again, “How about snow tubing? There are a few places around here we can do that.”

Raven had the biggest grin on her face, “Oh, I’m so down.”

“We could race.” Octavia added.

“I’d totally kick all of your asses.” Murphy laughed, “I’m down to do that.”

Everyone was enjoying their breakfast, screaming and shouting with excitement about the prospect of snow tubing. It was only their second day there, but they hadn’t really gone out and partaken in any wintery activities, other than the hours spent outside while having small bonfires at the house.

Clarke smiled, she was content. She turned to Maya, “Hey, it looks like you found a few places that have tubing. Do you want to pick the place we go to?”

“I’m actually not sure which one would be best. The ratings online have them all as 5 stars, but maybe you guys can ask Lexa or Lincoln which one they think would be better since they’re from here?” Maya offered.

Octavia’s looked to Clarke, “Don’t look at me, Griff. I don’t want to seem needy, he hasn’t answered my last text yet because he’s working.”

“What happened to grabbing life by the balls, O?” Clarke laughed.

Octavia shrugged, “Maybe you should text Lexa since you know she’s going to be wrapping up work soon anyway.”

Clarke rolled her eyes and grabbed for her phone. 

_CG: Hey, I’m sorry. I know you’re working, but I have a quick question._

_LW: No need to apologize, it’s a lovely thing to see your name pop up on my screen. What can I do for you? Teach you how to make another meal, perhaps?_

_CG: Not exactly, but now that you mention it… I will be taking you up on that at some point this week.  We’re looking into going snow tubing today and wondered if you had any recommendations on where to go?_

_LW: Yes! My uncle Gus has a friend that has a private area of Bromley for tubing. Going today? I can call him and make the reservation for you, how many of you?_

_CG: You’re the best. All 8 of us. Well, 9 if you want to come?_

_LW: Pre-game to our date?_

_CG: I wouldn’t be opposed…_

_LW: I’ll let you know what he says. Any time work?_

_CG: Thank you!! Yes!_

Clarke put her phone down and realized all her friends were now staring at her, “What?”

“You have the dorkiest smile plastered on your face right now.” Jasper laughed, “What’d your girlfriend say?”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” Clarke huffed before continuing, “She’s calling her uncle’s friend who has a place for tubing to make us a reservation, she’s going to let me know what time works for him today.”

“And?” Raven added, wanting to see if Clarke had invited the other girl.

Clarke rolled her eyes, “And she may or may not be coming with us.”

\---

The morning escaped them and the early afternoon was slowly rolling in. Clarke was surprised that she didn’t have to force anyone to clean up after breakfast, she didn’t have to prepare lunch for anyone, she didn’t have to tell her friends to hurry up and get ready for the day. She was finally feeling relaxed and it was finally feeling like vacation. She wasn’t sure if it was because she woke up in the most pleasant way that morning, but regardless, she felt good.

Clarke was looking forward to Lexa arriving at the house, they had a little over an hour before they had to make their way to Bromley, and Clarke let Lexa know to come meet them for an early afternoon bonfire before they all had to leave.

The group was sitting around the fire that Octavia had worked to build when they heard someone approaching from the side of the house, “Looks like everyone is right where I left them.”

“Ah, our landlord is here!” Murphy laughed, waving at Lexa.

She smiled at the boy, knowing that his sense of humor meant no harm. She looked to the fire and the wood that was left, “Remind me to bring you guys more firewood. I think you’re the only bunch that likes to sit outside in the cold like this.”

“You don’t have to do that.” Bellamy offered, “You left us an axe, we can go find some.”

Lexa smiled, “I’d rather not risk a lawsuit. Don’t worry, the house listing did say that the owner will supply the wood for out here and for the stoves inside.”

Lexa made her way through the circle saying her hello’s before she took a seat next to Clarke, “Hi, Clarke.”

Clarke’s mood significantly increased as soon as Lexa sat down next to her. Her friends saw it and Lexa did too, “Hi,” she smiled, “Thank you so much for arranging this little excursion for us today.”

Lexa smiled back, “Any time.”

Clarke couldn’t think of anything else she would rather be doing that that moment in time. Surrounded by her friends, away from home and work, sitting next to an insufferably beautiful girl that she had a date with later that evening. She was getting lost in her atmosphere, lost in Lexa’s deep green eyes. The view next to her was picturesque: Lexa with a snowy landscape behind her, sprawls of evergreen trees in every direction, their vivid green pine needles making Lexa’s eyes pop more than she thought was possible. She finally admitted it to herself, she was crushing very hard.

Clarke snapped out of her daze and turned back to Lexa, “So did you bring me proper winter attire?”

Her question didn’t go unnoticed by those sitting nearby her. Raven raised a brow, “Sharing a closet already? That’s record timing.”

Lexa laughed at the remark and turned to Raven, “Your friend here thought it would be smart to plan a trip up to Vermont in the dead of winter and not bring a proper winter coat.” She smiled at Clarke, “Yes, it’s in my truck. Wear it while we tube, and if you still want to hang out later, you’ll need it then too.”

Clarke ignored the eyes on her, other than Lexa’s emerald green ones, “Thank you. And of course I still do.”

\---

After they died the fire down, everyone rushed around the house grabbing their various gloves, hats, scarves, and sorry excuses for coats.

“I may have misspoken earlier.” Lexa whispered into Clarke’s ear, not realize she was also sending a shiver down the other girl’s spine.

Clarke turned to Lexa, “About what?”

“You’re not the only one without a proper coat.” Lexa chuckled.

“Us city kids like to brave the cold. And in style. What can I say?” Clarke shrugged, heading to the front door with her keys.

As she unlocked the doors to her Jeep, Raven ran up behind her and snatched her keys from her hand.

“Hey!” Clarke exclaimed.

Raven gave her a knowing look, one that said Clarke would be thanking her later, to which the blonde understood and walked towards Lexa’s.

“You’re with me?” Lexa asked, acknowledging Clarke climbing into the passenger seat of her Land Rover.

“It seems that way, unless you’d prefer that I wasn’t?” Clarke smiled, already knowing the answer to her question.

Lexa returned the smile, and responded with a low voice, “I prefer this.”

At that point, the pair heard both back doors open and saw Bellamy and Murphy pouring into the car with them.

“Holy shit,” Murphy let out, “this is a really fucking nice ride.”

Lexa rolled her eyes at the boy into her rearview mirror, “Thank you.”


	6. I’m Telling You This in Sheer Confidence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I've been updating this so frequently because I have so many ideas (and moments between Clexa) that need to be squeezed in during this 10-day vacation of Clarke's! Thank you all so much for reading this and for all the kudos and comments - and as always, I apologize for any typos. @kay_be is too busy to proofread for me, so please do blame her (she'll probably see this note next year at the rate she's going, with being too busy for me).
> 
> -L
> 
> PS - Updates are also posted to https://cantgetoutofmyheda.tumblr.com

Clarke couldn’t remember the last time she had this much fun. She had just trekked back to the top of the slope that her friends and Lexa were so recklessly shooting themselves down on large tubes, it was probably her fifth run at that point. She was definitely tired, but she wasn’t ready to end the little excursion.

She plopped herself down on a bank of freshly laid snow from the night prior and watched as a mixture of tubing and snowball fights broke out.

She felt a presence approaching her and she turned her attention in that direction. A man who was quite larger plopped down next to her, “Hi, I’m Nyko!” He was older and rather jolly, also looking out to the group of people with a big smile on his face.

Clarke remembered the name, Lexa had mentioned it to her. “Nyko! Thank you so much for accommodating us so last minute, Lexa told me this was your place. You’re a friend of her uncle’s?”

The man smiled, “Yes, Gus and I go way back. Lexa and the other two kids, too. I’ve known her since she was this big.” He lifted his hands up and used them to measure the size of what Clarke assumed to be a baby.

“She’s definitely something.” Clarke smiled at the man, then turning her attention to try and find the girl they were talking about, out in the distance.

Nyko had the sincerest of smiles on his face, seeing the way Clarke was trying to pinpoint exactly where Lexa was amongst the group of people, “She hasn’t been up here in a while, guess she’s been too busy with running a small empire in town. I’m glad she’s here though, and that she brought all her friends.”

Clarke grinned, “I’m glad she brought us too. She’s been quite the host.”

“Are you visiting from out of town? I know I haven’t seen any of you around these parts before, but I didn’t want to assume. How do you kids know Lexa, anyway?” He wasn’t trying to pry, he honestly was just interested in Lexa’s life. Lexa was normally the type to keep to herself, and when she wasn’t, she was usually with Anya and Aden.

“We’re renting one of her houses. We actually just met her yesterday morning at Woods General, but she’s been so great. She’s practically been with us since we met her.” Clarke replied, trying to spot Lexa again, not quite able to pin down where the girl was. She wasn’t getting antsy with Nyko, it was just that as the day went on, she found that her eyes were continuously wandering to the girl that’s been putting a smile on her face.

“Lexa? Our Lexa?” Nyko asked, with a bit of shock on his face, “You must be a special bunch, then. Her and Anya never really interact with their renters. She always makes Indra do that.” He forgot that Clarke wasn’t from around the area, so he added, “Indra also works at Woods General to help with odd shifts, you may have met her.”

Clarke smiled, remembering the woman, “I did, we stopped at the store the first night we got to town and she was there. Very lovely woman.”

“Oh no,” the pair heard a voice coming from behind them. Clarke looked up and her eyes were met with Lexa’s, “whatever this man has been telling you probably isn’t true.” 

Clarke chuckled and Nyko let out a boastful laugh. Clarke was happy that she was finally able to place her eyes on the girl again and patted down the snow next to her, a gesture for Lexa to take a seat with them, “Nyko here tells me that you’ve been too busy to stop by here in a while, which is a shame because it’s probably one of the most magical places I’ve been to. He also tells me that you’re not too keen on interacting with your rental guests. I guess that means we’re a lucky bunch, huh?”

Lexa sat down and exposed a toothy grin, “I suppose you could say that.”

Nyko raised a brow at the girls and cleared his throat, “I’m going to head back to the ticketing office. Clarke, it was a pleasure to meet you. Lex, don’t be a stranger. And tell the same to Anya and Aden. The Woods kids are always welcome whenever they want.”

Lexa stood to her feet and gave the man the biggest hug, “I’ve missed you, Nyko. We’ll be down in a bit to pay for this afternoon shenanigan.”

He returned the hug and smiled, “This afternoon shenanigan is on the house, kid. No money in the world is worth more than seeing you smile and laugh all afternoon.”

Clarke stood up, “Nyko, I can’t let you do that. We would really like to pay for this, it’s been the best day ever and we owe it to you.”

“Nonsense,” the man put his hand in the air, “I don’t remember the last time I’ve seen this kid have this much fun. Enjoy the rest of your trip, maybe I’ll see you again before you go?”

Clarke nodded and thanked him, Lexa stood there with a soft smile, slightly embarrassed by the man’s insistence.

“He’s such a sentimental sap,” Lexa started, taking a seat on the snow again, “he’s always been one. Him and uncle Gus. You’d think these big, burly mountain men wouldn’t be, right?”

Clarke followed Lexa’s lead and sat back down as well, “I thought it was cute. Seems like he really cares about you and your siblings.”

Lexa offered the smallest of smiles, “He does. I’ve known him my whole life. He’s my uncle’s oldest friend and was also close to my parents. After they passed away, he did everything he could to help Gus out with taking care of us.”

Clarke suddenly felt her heart break, “Lexa, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

“Clarke,” Lexa started, “you wouldn’t have known. It’s okay, it was a long time ago.”

“I know,” Clarke responded, “but–“

Lexa cut her off, “Can we talk about something else?”

Clarke got the hint and a devilish grin appeared on her face, causing Lexa to give her a questioning look.

The blonde stood up and grabbed her snow tube, “We don’t have to talk at all.”

Lexa appreciated Clarke’s ability to lighten the mood for her. Clarke already had a head start and was making her way to the area where everyone was launching down the slope and Lexa followed suit.

“Last one down has to drink whatever the winner wants tonight!” Clarke yelled back to Lexa as she was already nearly on top of her tube, ready to head down.

As Lexa saw Clarke begin to go, she screamed after the girl, “I’m not letting you get me drunk again!”

\---

“Holy shit, that was fun.” Bellamy smiled, entering the house, “Seriously, Lexa. Thank you so much, I’m glad Clarke texted you about this.” Bellamy was never one to get overly excited about anything and his friends knew that. The fact that the boy was boasting truly meant that it was an afternoon well spent.

Lexa smiled, she was glad she was able to constantly provide something to this random group of people that happened to pop into her life. “No need to thank me. But I’m glad she did as well.” She knew how the words came out of her mouth, and at that moment in time, she truly didn’t care what anyone thought. She had a wonderful time with the visitors, a wonderful time with Clarke.

“Of course you are.” Raven smirked, earning a slap on the arm from Clarke who walked in right after her.

“I’m actually going to head out for a bit to get that wood I promised you guys.” Lexa said, keeping her coat on while everyone was busy taking theirs off and shaking snow off their boots. She looked around the corner to try and take stock of what was left inside for the heaters, while remembering exactly how much was left outside before they left for snow tubing.

Clarke looked up at the girl, not wanting to miss being in her presence, “I can help.” Just like Lexa only a few seconds ago, the girl knew how the words came out of her mouth. It was apparent to everyone at this point that the two were much closer than Lexa was to anyone else in the group, but that was to be expected.

Lexa smiled, “It’s okay, you should relax.”

At the risk of sounding needy or clingy, Clarke still offered, “I want to.”

Lexa just smiled and nodded and walked out the front door, knowing Clarke was right behind her. Truth be told, she knew that Clarke would have offered, and she knew that she would let her come.

“We should probably take my Jeep.” Clarke stated, “Your car is super clean and mine’s a bit of a mess. Don’t want the inside of your Discovery getting dirty or anything.” She definitely liked Lexa’s car, but she definitely didn’t want to make a mess of the inside just because Lexa was doing something nice for her and her friends.

“As you wish, Clarke. But let me drive?” Lexa asked, reaching for the keys. She figured she knew the way better, and with the roads still slick and icy from the previous night’s snow, she wanted to spare Clarke the trouble and potential stress.

Clarke smiled as she handed the keychain to Lexa, “Had I known that renting this house would get me a personal chef, an excursion planner, and a chauffeur, I would have booked a vacation up here a long time ago.” 

Lexa rolled her eyes as she climbed into the driver’s side of Clarke’s Jeep, “Had I known I would be doing all these chores for you, I wouldn’t have accepted your invitation to dinner last night.”

“Is that so?” Clarke asked, now in the passenger seat and raising a brow at the girl who was starting the car.

Lexa turned to face Clarke and mistakenly got lost in the girl’s deep blue eyes, “Not one bit.”

\---

“Is this a Spotify station or something?” Clarke asked Lexa while she slowly nodded her head to the beat of the music. “What is this song?” Lexa had synced her phone to Clarke’s Bluetooth in the car and asked the girl if she minded if she played some music.

Lexa smiled to herself, making sure not to take her eyes off the road, no matter how badly she wanted to look at Clarke, “It’s a playlist I made on Spotify, probably one of my favorites ones I’ve done. This song is called ‘Somethin’ by a band called Waterbed. Don’t remember how I found it, but I do love this song.”

“I love it too, it’s putting me in an even better mood than I was already in.” Clarke smiled, now humming the melody to the chorus.

Lexa’s smile grew, “Is that so?” She was pleasantly surprised that Clarke was into the playlist she created, especially since it was one of her favorites.

Clarke just nodded to Lexa as she was feeling the rhythm of the song, and Lexa continued her train of thought, “It’s a really long one. I think I made it over the course of a year, but it really is my favorite thing to listen to. I never put it on shuffle, I just listen to it from start to finish and each song reminds me of what I was feeling when I added it on.”

“How deeply poetic of you.” Clarke giggled, as she poked Lexa’s side. She realized that other than their early-morning spooning session, she’s barely made contact with Lexa all day.

The song changed over to the next and a familiar tune hit Clarke’s ear which lead to the girl unable to control her laughter. She looked to Lexa, covering her mouth to try and mute the noises emitting from it, but it was no use.

“What? What is it, Clarke?” Lexa truly wanted to know why “Portions for Foxes” by Rilo Kiley was causing such a reaction from the girl.

“Lexa. If I tell you something, you have to promise not to make fun of me. And may I add that I’m telling you this in sheer confidence because I’ve never admitted this to anyone before.” Clarke continued laughing, while Lexa raised a brow for her to continue with her explanation. “So, did you ever watch the tv show ‘The O.C.?’”

Lexa nodded, thinking she had an idea of where this story was going to go, but wanted to hear it come from Clarke’s mouth.

“Do you remember when Olivia Wilde played Marissa’s girlfriend for a few episodes? And may I add, they were robbed of a wonderful storyline, but I digress…” Clarke earned a laugh before she continued, “Anyway, there was a scene where Alex and Marissa were in Alex’s Jeep driving somewhere and this song came on…” she paused before her confession muttered out, “that’s why I bought this Jeep, because I had a huge crush on Olivia Wilde’s character on the show.”

Lexa’s laughter almost brought her to tears. She had to regain some sort of composure to help pay attention to the road, “Clarke, you’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I swear.” Clarke said, still laughing, moving her hands to cover her eyes, now slightly embarrassed by her confession.

Lexa was amused. No, she was far beyond the point of amusement. “Clarke.” She couldn’t stop giggling, “When you said you’ve never admitted this to anyone…”

Clarke still couldn’t stop laughing, she couldn’t believe she actually admitted that to the girl sitting beside her, “If you tell Octavia or Raven, I’m cancelling our date.”

Lexa’s giggles died down and her face was bearing a smirk bigger than she ever thought possible, “That’s really a shame, Clarke. I was really looking forward to later.”

Clarke playfully shoved Lexa, it wasn’t aggressive enough to distract the girl from driving, but it was enough to let her know that Clarke was not amused with her answer.

Clarke retracted her arm from contact with Lexa for the second time during the ride and realized they were slowing down on a winding road and approaching a fenced in property. A huge sign over the top of the entrance read “Woods Tree Farm” in beautiful lettering made from what looked like thinner birch trunks.

“We’re here.” Lexa smiled, putting the car in park and turning the engine off. She unlocked the doors and stepped out, waiting for Clarke to do the same.

Clarke hopped out of the Jeep and took in her surroundings. The sun was setting and the view in front of her was absolutely gorgeous, they were surrounded by rows and rows and rows of snow-capped trees, “Where is ‘here’ exactly?”

Lexa smiled. It was the most genuine of smiles that ever had the pleasure of being implanted on her face. A feeling over pride overwhelmed her, seeing the look Clarke was baring for something Lexa had worked so hard at, “The tree farm we share with Gus. It’s what I told you about yesterday – we tap the maple trees for syrup,” she paused to nod in the direction of the maples, “we grow those for the holiday season,” she nodded towards another area, “and those are the ones we cut into cords for firewood.” Giving one final nod in a separate direction. “Grab a wagon and follow me, we have a barn stocked with freshly cut wood.”

Thirty minutes nearly passed before the Jeep was loaded at maximum capacity with the wood they collected. It took multiple trips and was far more work to just haul the wagons back and forth than Clarke could have imagined, but she was grateful that Lexa seemed to find pleasure from the situation.

“How do you do this all the time?” Clarke asked, nearly out of breath, while climbing back into the car.

Lexa just smiled, “It’s calming for me. Almost therapeutic.”

Clarke smirked, “More therapeutic than handling a kitchen knife?”

“They’re equal.” Lexa smiled as she propped herself into the driver’s seat and turning on the engine. “They’re both things that equally calm me down.”

Clarke raised a brow, “And what is it that you need to calm yourself over, Lexa?”

Lexa turned to the girl before grabbing her phone and putting her favorite playlist back on, right where they left it from the drive over, “Absolutely nothing.”

\--- 

The sun was nearly set completely by the time the girls had arrived back to the house. More of Lexa’s carefully curated songs had played, and Clarke made mental notes on band names and song titles to add to her own playlists later on. The drive was quieter on the way back than it was to the farm, both girls slipping into a comfortable silence and enjoying the music that Lexa had chosen for them.

The exited the Jeep at the same time, Clarke convincing Lexa to leave the wood so the others could help. Truth be told, which she didn’t want to admit to Lexa, her arms were already a bit sore from loading the car up at the farm.

Loud music blared through the windows and Lexa took notice of the newly added pick-up truck parked at the end of the driveway, “This is going to be interesting.”

Clarke looked between Lexa and the car the girl was staring at, “Who’s here?”

Lexa was shaking her head and rubbing her temple, “Anya.”

Clarke raised her brow in amusement and shoved Lexa towards the door to let the girl enter first. After all, it was her house, right?

As they entered the house and hung up their coats, their eyes immediately found the bulk of Clarke’s friends sitting around the huge dining table playing some sort of board game with a portable speaker blasting a song that Clarke had recognized from Lexa’s playlist. At the head of the table was Anya, sitting rather closely to Rave. The latter girl leaning in closely to Lexa’s sister, saying something only for her to hear.

Anya finally looked up towards her sister and Clarke, “Look who finally decided to join us. Lex, I drove by and saw your car so I decided to pop in. To my surprise, you weren’t actually here.”

“We went to get wood.” Lexa replied quickly, not giving her sister any time to add any quirky or questionable comments to her statement.

“Well, Raven here was just telling me about your visit to Nyko and yours and Clarke’s visit to the tree farm.” Anya smirked before turning her attention to Clarke, “I see you’ve been paraded around to our entire family today, Clarke.” She meant no malice with her words, she was just matter-of-factly stating the truth.

Clarke looked to Lexa, who seemed to be completely mortified, and shrugged back to Anya, “I guess that would have been true if Gus was at the farm, but unfortunately your sister put me to work and had me hauling cords of wood for thirty minutes. I’m sure meeting Gus would have been way more pleasant.”

Lexa let out a sigh of relief. Of course Clarke would be able to hold her own to her sister’s teasing. That was just Clarke. 

Clarke made her way round the table, past Monty, past Jasper and Maya, and took an open seat on the other side of Anya, “So what do we have here?” she asked, motioning to the board game and acknowledging the speaker. “Lex, didn’t you play this song in the car?”

Lexa was still standing where Clarke left her, smiling like a fool at the use of the nickname that came from the other girl’s mouth.

Anya raised her brow, “Did you woo Clarke with your playlist, baby sister?”

Raven caught the look between the two sisters and her ears perked up, “What playlist? Lexa, are you trying to woo my best friend?” Raven teased, knowing well that at this point, Clarke and Lexa were both trying to “woo” each other.

Anya turned back to Raven, “Oh, it’s her thing. She has this infectiously romantic playlist that she-“

“An!” Lexa stopped her sister, cheeks fully flushed pink, “Since when have you ever even been this talkative?” She was trying to change the subject, but the amusement on Clarke’s face already proved that her spot was blown.

Anya looked to her sister and shrugged as she sipped something out of a red solo cup, Lexa was now understanding where her sister’s chatty demeanor was stemming from.

Octavia rolled her eyes from her seat on the other side of Raven, “Are you guys done yet? I’m about to finally win a game and you’re stealing my thunder.” She shifted in her seat and held her cards close to her face before looking across the table, “Does anyone have any oar? I’ll trade you for wheat.” Everyone shook their heads ‘no,’ and Octavia turned back to Lexa and huffed, “You guys jinxed me.”

Clarke was thoroughly confused at the weird board pieces and little wooden figures atop it, “What even is this?”

Anya looked to the girl, “Lexa’s favorite game of all time. If you haven’t noticed, she’s a huge nerd. Settlers of Catan.”

Lexa finally made her way to the table, taking a seat between Octavia and Monty, “First of all, I’m not a nerd, I like it because it’s about strategy. Makes this thing up here, “she said, tapping on her head, “reach it’s full potential. And second, I haven’t played that in so long, where did you even find it?”

Anya was looking at the cards in her hand, “In your bedroom downstairs in the closet with the rest of the board games. Where else?”

Clarke turned to Lexa, “Your bedroom?”

A bashful grin appeared on Lexa’s face before her sister cut in, “Yeah, the bedroom downstairs with one bed in it. House has been in our family for a while and while our parents were renovating the one we grew up in, we lived here during the reno period. We all slept up here, but Lexa always liked her space.” Anya shrugged, placing a few cards down, trading them in for more wooden pieces before looking at Octavia, “Better luck next time, I just won again.”

Clarke couldn’t help but smile. Hearing that she was staying in Lexa’s bedroom sent a pulse of electricity throughout her body. She looked down to her phone, ignoring the calendar reminder that popped up on her screen for something the next day, to look at the time. 7pm, two hours until her actual date with Lexa started. Though she had nearly spent the whole afternoon and evening with the girl, she was still giddy at the thought of spending even more time with Lexa.

The sliding door to the backyard opened, and Bellamy and Murphy appeared clad with platters of something that smelled absolutely delicious.

“What’s this?” Clarke asked, surprised at the scene before her. She tried to remember the last time either of the two had taken it upon themselves to do something like this, and she honestly couldn’t recall one account.

Bellamy shrugged, “We were hungry. We were out back when you pulled in, I finished grilling the burgers and Murphy unloaded the wood into the shed Lexa showed us earlier.”

Clarke feigned shock, bringing both hands to either sides of her cheeks, “You guys actually helped out?”

Murphy smirked, following Bellamy’s lead into the room to help put the food on the table, “Yeah, well we figured the certified hottie has been doing a lot for us. Wanted to help out where we could. Plus, I make a mean burger.”

His words most definitely caught Anya’s attention, who then directed hers to her younger sister, “Certified hottie, huh?”

Lexa just sat there and confidently shrugged, “What can I say?”

This caused the biggest groan from Clarke, “Murphy’s words! Not mine!”

Raven laughed so hard at the interaction that she nearly choked on her drink, “Looks like you’re never living this one down, Griff.”

Clarke raised a brow, challenging her friend, “Rae, do you need to be reminded of how this whole story came about? I think there’s actually one person at this table that doesn’t know the full story.” Her eyes wandered to Anya, who now had an extremely inquisitive look on her face.

Raven’s eyes widened as the words escaped Clarke’s mouth, “Clarkey Clarke. That’s enough out of you.”

Now very amused, Anya turned to her sister and then to Raven, “So you’re the one that said I was hot?” She then leaned in closer to Raven for only her to hear, “I was hoping it would be you.” Earning a smirk from the girl.

Lexa rolled her eyes at her sister, “You’re insufferable.”

Anya shrugged at her sister’s comment, “I’m just taking a cue from your playbook, baby sister.”

Clarke was flustered. She was flustered in a good way because the thought of Lexa being teased by her sister about what she was doing with Clarke was emitting a kaleidoscope of butterflies in her stomach. Before Lexa could get another word in to her sister, Clarke interjected, “So how about we eat dinner, huh?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you guys know that a group of butterflies is actually called a "kaleidoscope" ?? Had to Google that one... lol.


	7. You'll Know When You Know

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys. 7 chapters later, and the date finally commences. Thank you to everyone who has been reading this. The comments and kudos are much, much appreciated. Knowing that there are a bunch of you enjoying this story makes it even more enjoyable for me to write.
> 
> I've left a similar note on another fic I'm writing (13 Clans), but just want to let you guys know that I have two fics going at once and am alternating updates. I'm finding that since the story lines are so different, it's been nice to switch on and off between them and has been giving me time to stay completely excited about them both.
> 
> 13 Clans: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18469723/chapters/43760248
> 
> Once again, apologies for any typos, I haven't had a second pair of eyes read over this.
> 
> -L

Stomachs were content and the outdoor space was filled with smiles and laughter. After dinner, everyone had moved outside to make another fire. The addition of Anya to the setting was nice, having both Woods sisters in attendance was changing the dynamic for the better. Between the stories of their small town and why it was so special to them, to the countless embarrassing anecdotes Anya was so freely sharing about her younger sister, making sure Clarke heard each and every word of them.

“There was this one time,” Anya started, everyone at her complete attention, especially Clarke, “we decided to play wall-ball in the house.”

Lexa looked up at her sister alarmingly, “An, no.”

Clarke looked between the two sisters, “Oh, this one’s going to be good. Please continue.”

Anya smirked at her sister and went on, “We could only find a ping pong ball, so we decided to make it work. Lex swatted the thing so high that it went into a floor lamp we had and landed in the base where the bulb was. It was too high for either of us to reach so she said to forget about it and walked away. Long story short, the ball caught on fire and I had to knock the lamp over. Next thing you know, flame ball went flying across the room and landed on the new hard wood floors mom and dad had just installed. House almost burnt down, but little Lexie here stomped it out in time. Next time you’re in the living room, move the rug under the coffee table over and you’ll find the evidence.”

The laughter ensued and Lexa sat there silently shaking her head.

“Who would have thought we had a little pyro on our hands?” Raven laughed, leaning closer next to the older Woods sister.

“I’m going to get you back for that one.” Lexa stated, pointing a finger at her sister, finally breaking a small smile.

“At least it wasn’t the story with the Hot Pockets…” Anya started.

Clarke immediately whipped her head around to Lexa to show the girl her amusement when Raven chimed in again and winked at Anya, “Okay, killer. Let’s save the stories for another night. At least that way we can make sure you make another appearance before we leave.”

Murphy got up from his seat, “Okay, since when did this trip turn into all the girls getting down with the locals?”

“Shut up, Murphy.” Clarke, Raven, and Octavia chimed all at once, as if it was a normal reflex for whenever the boy spoke.

He looked between them and shrugged, “I think it’s time for another drink.” He went around the circle, filling the red solo cups up with the golden liquid from the Jameson bottle in his hand. He made his way to Clarke’s when she put her hand over her own cup, signaling she was good for now. “What’s up Clarkey? The night is young.”

“I’m good for now.” She said, turning to smile at Lexa.

Murphy shrugged then went over to Lexa who had a similar reaction to Clarke, “I’m good too. Thank you, though.”

He looked between them quizzically and shrugged before he moved on to fill Raven’s cup. “Okay, party poopers. More for the rest of us, then.”

Raven smirked before turning to Clarke, “They probably don’t want to be drunk for their first date.”

If looks could kill, Raven would have been dead in an instant by the way Clarke was glaring at her with her icy blue eyes. Before Clarke or Lexa had the chance to say anything, Anya took the liberty to fill the void, clad with a smug grin her face, “A date? I wonder with whom.”

Lexa rolled her eyes before her sister continued, “And it’s 8:30, Lex. What is this, a pre-planned late-night booty call?”

“Thank you! That’s what I thought.” Octavia chimed in, earning the same glare from Clarke that she previously shot at Raven.

“Wait,” Murphy started, “was this what you guys were whispering about in the kitchen this morning when I got out of bed? You guys shut up really fast when Bell and I walked in.”

Lexa turned to Clarke, “I knew your friends were open and vocal, but Jesus.”

“Your sister egging them on isn’t helping.” Clarke grimaced.

Anya looked to the blonde, “I heard that, doc.”

Lexa stood up and turned to Clarke, holding a hand out for the other girl to follow suit, “And on that note… shall we?”

“Please.” Clarke said, taking her hand to stand up.

“Shall we wait up, ladies?” Murphy asked as the girls walked by him. His question was answered with scowls from the pair.

As they walked around the side of the house to the driveway, Clarke realized how nervous she actually was. She had spent the bulk of the afternoon and evening with Lexa, they had even gone on a little adventure without everyone else, but what they were about to embark on was new territory for their dynamic. The culmination of skirting around each other and banter that was borderline flirting was all leading into this very moment, and she had to admit, she was getting a bit lost in her head.

“Everything okay?” Lexa asked, noticing the girl spacing out, “We don’t have to go if you want to stay here.”

Clarke looked up and her eyes were met with Lexa’s. The girl’s deep green eyes were filled with the color of the vast evergreen forest they were surrounded by looked so kind in the moonlight. Every ounce of nervousness that filled her suddenly disappeared into the night just by looking at Lexa.

“Everything is perfect. This is all I want.”

\---

“Can we put your playlist back on?” Clarke asked, climbing into the passenger seat of her Jeep.

Lexa smiled as she turned the key in the ignition, “Sure. Maybe you’ll have another secret to share prompted by one of the songs.”

Clarke returned the smile as they pulled out of the driveway, “That is more likely than not.”

They sat in comfortable silence, both girls periodically humming to the songs softly playing through the speakers in the car. It wasn’t until the intro to a song came on that Lexa noticed Clarke stirring in her seat, “’Islands’ by the xx, huh? Got a story to tell? A secret to share, perhaps?”

“Yes. But in due time.” Clarke grinned, not quite ready to let this secret out of the bag.

Lexa grinned, “I can wait. But will this be another proclamation that you’ve never admitted to anyone else?”

“One hundred percent.” Clarke smiled.

Lexa returned the smile as her eyes laid on the winding road ahead, “And when will that be?”

“You’ll know when you know.” Clarke said, now facing the road leading them higher in altitude, “Where exactly are you taking me?”

“You’ll know when you know.” Lexa returned.

\---

The drive was both long and short at the same time. Long because Clarke honestly had no idea where they were going and how long they would be in the car for. The winding roads in the darkness up the mountain they were finally atop felt like an everlasting trail. Short because she didn’t want to leave the safe and confined space she was sharing with Lexa, listening to the songs that the other girl had so carefully crafted to play one after the next.

When Lexa put the car into park, Clarke looked out ahead of her and saw a clearing amongst the trees. She stepped out to take the sight in, realizing they were at the highest point of elevation from what she could see. They were surrounded by miles and miles of smaller mountains below them, surrounded by the forest covered with a dusting of snow that was glistening under the bright moonlight.

She turned to find Lexa, the brunette was pulling out the backpack she had tucked into into backseat earlier, “Where are we?”

Her question was returned with a lopsided smile and a shrug, “My favorite place on earth.”

Clarke looked at the girl and made a mental note that of all the smiles Lexa had shared with her, this was her absolute favorite one. The sincerity, honesty, and excitement that Lexa was feeling was being translated to Clarke with this one facial expression. In that very moment, Clarke knew for sure that the girl standing before her was exquisite and she knew that she was in for it.

Lexa locked the car and threw the keys into her pocket, finally making her way towards Clarke and the clearing ahead of them, motioning for the blonde to follow her lead, “Ready? We’re just going right over there.”

Clarke smiled and gave Lexa a small nod before following closely behind her.

When they reached the clearing, Lexa opened her backpack and pulled out a blanket, thermos, and two enamel mugs. Once she had the blanket laid out, she took a seat and patted the spot next to her, an invitation for Clarke get herself comfortable too.

“The moon.” Clarke stated as she sat down and finally looked up. She realized that in the short amount of time they were atop the mountain, she had only been looking down, aweing at sight of the glistening treetops below them. She hadn’t even thought to look up at the night sky, at the masterpiece floating right above their heads.

Lexa couldn’t wipe the smile off her face if she tried. The awestruck look on Clarke’s face was enough to give her heart a flutter, it was enough to move the mountain they were on, it was enough to make her forget that the girl she was sitting next to – the girl she had only just found – was already leaving in a little over a week’s time.

Lexa still had her eyes on Clarke, “I’m sorry this was such a late date, but I promise I have a good reason.”

Clarke smiled back to her, bringing her attention from the night sky to the girl next to her and joked, “You didn’t bring me out here to kill me did you? I mean, this is the definition of seclusion.”

Lexa chuckled, “You sure know how to ruin a moment, Clarke.” She shook her head, “Tonight we have a supermoon. I come up here whenever there’s one because it’s the best place to get the perfect view.”

Clarke’s eyes were still on Lexa, “This is truly the definition of the perfect view.” She earned a smile from the brunette, telling her that she fully knew what she was insinuating before she continued, “But what exactly is a supermoon?”

Lexa looked up, pointing her finger to the moon, “You see how big it looks?” she waited for Clarke to nod to continue, “Well, it’s because the position of the moon in it’s orbit is the closest to Earth that it can be, which is why it looks significantly bigger than usual. We get a true full moon every month, give or take, but supermoons probably happen three or four times a year.”

Clarke turned to the girl, “Chef, chauffeur, excursion planner, resident DJ, and moon expert. You’ve got a long list of things you’re excelling in, Lexa. You really know how to impress a girl.”

Lexa shrugged as she reached for the thermos, “What can I say? You can add mixologist to the list too, if you want.” Clarke gave the girl an inquiring look before she continued, “I made us some mulled wine this morning.”

“And I didn’t think tonight could get any better.” Clarke said, taking the mug Lexa had just handed her. “How is it still steaming hot? We’ve been together all afternoon and night, you didn’t warm anything up.”

Lexa took a sip and pursed a small smile at the warmth of the drink, “Trick of the trade when you live up here? Get a Yeti bottle. Want to keep something cold for days? It works. Want to keep something hot for days? It works.” She took another sip before asking, “Do you like it?”

Clarke smiled into the warmth of the mug. The heat emitting through the enamel vestibule was warming up her hands the same way the smooth liquid was warming her insides, “I would have assumed if you wanted to keep something cold, you’d just leave it outside,” she joked before turning her attention back to her drink, “It’s perfect. Maybe it can be the next thing you show me how to make.”

Lexa smiled and nodded at the blonde, bringing the warmth of her drink to her lips. She was more than content with how the night was going and wanted to take the rest of the time she had with the girl to learn everything she could about her, “When was the last time you saw the stars and sky like this?”

“You know,” Clarke started, “never. We go on trips all the time, but we’ve never really been to a place like this. I grew up in the city, I went to college and med school there, I guess you can say that I never really left. Things are always so busy, I never really took the time to step back and appreciate what was right above my head.”

Lexa nodded at the girl’s statement, “And I’m guessing the light pollution down there doesn’t help? Either way, I’m glad you’re finally able to see this.”

Both girls were now nearly laying on the blanket, elbows propped to help keep them up. Eyes were on the sky, but words weren’t short of being exchanged.

“I feel like we’re inside of a painting.” Clarke spoke so softly. She was so engrossed in where she was, she felt that if she spoke above a whisper that she would be disturbing the forest, the mountain, the sky.

“Not bad for a first date, huh?” Lexa asked, her voice just as hushed as Clarke’s.

“Far from it.”

A comfortable silence fell upon the pair again, they were enjoying their drinks, enjoying the view, and enjoying being in the other’s company. Lexa finally sat up, giving defeat to her elbows that had finally grown tired, “My parents used to take us here to see the supermoons when we were kids.”

Clarke looked to the girl and sat up to match her positioning, “What were they like?”

“My dad was a good guy. He was strong, too. I don’t know how else to describe him. I guess you could say he was a man that knew what he wanted and did everything he needed to, to ensure he was instilling some sort of positivity into peoples’ everyday lives. My mom,” Lexa broke their gaze and looked back up at the stars, “she was a dreamer. She saw the beauty in the smallest of things. She was kind and loving, she was doting, maybe even to a fault. Anya is a lot like him, Aden is a lot like her. I guess you could say I’m somewhere in between.”

Clarke offered a smile, “Sounds like a good position to be in.”

Lexa turned back to the girl and nodded, “I wouldn’t disagree. He was an architect and she was an interior designer, they met because of a restaurant he was building up in Burlington. He was from down here and after the project was finished, she followed him back down and they never left. Gus is my dad’s brother, the three of them went into business together. It was like a perfect little storm, I suppose. My parents started flipping houses down here together, saved up a bit and opened the store.”

“Your mom, she did all the interiors then?” Clarke asked, her mind wandering back to the store and the house they were staying in, wandering back to all the details of the tiles and woodwork and fixtures that had previously captivated her.

Lexa smiled, “She did.”

Clarke knew the current conversation of Lexa’s parents was vastly different than the one that barely took place earlier in the day. She couldn’t be anything other than happy and understanding that Lexa was opening up, given the place they were in, “She was a very talented woman, Lexa. The way every fixture and surface complement each other while still being so vastly different, everything I’ve seen has been amazing. Every room in the house is amazing. It’s like she was Joanna Gaines before Joanna Gaines even became herself.”

Lexa couldn’t help but laugh at the reference, she also couldn’t help but adore how Clarke was speaking about her mother’s work, “My parents are probably rolling in their graves seeing the empire Chip and Joanna Gaines have built for themselves, knowing damn well they could have done an even better job. That they stayed in this little town when they could have been raking in the big bucks.”

“Lexa,” Clarke started, “you own multiple businesses and I’ve also ridden in your car. Something tells me that the empire your parents built in this place is far from unsuccessful. The empire that you and your siblings are carrying on quite well, at least from an outsider’s point of view.”

Lexa nodded, “I suppose you’re right.” She watched as Clarke gave her a smirk, “I’m sorry if this conversation got too heavy, too much for a first date?”

“From my perspective,” Clarke looked to Lexa, making a move to put her hand on top of the other girl’s, “I’ve stumbled upon a very unexpected situation while on vacation with a person who I’ve found myself to be attracted to. Now I’m on a date with said person, after already spending an amazing day with them, and am having a very open and honest conversation. I see nothing wrong with this, do you?”

Lexa smirked, “The only thing wrong with that is that you’re only attracted to me, not ‘very’ attracted.”

Clarke grinned at the girl, “Luckily for you, Woods, you’ve got a little longer to grow on me.”

\---

It was nearing midnight by the time Clarke’s Jeep pulled onto the street the house was on. The lights were all nearly off and there were no loud noises coming from the back. Anya’s truck was gone, so the pair assumed mostly everyone was winding down, if not asleep already.

Lexa parked the Jeep on the street where Anya’s truck was previously, “Is it okay if I leave your car here? Otherwise I’d be blocking mine in.”

Clarke nodded, she knew that there wouldn’t be a replay of the night before. Now that the two were entering a new phase of whatever this relationship was, she figured that half-drunk sleepovers were probably off the table.

Lexa locked the car as they walked up the driveway, knowing this was where they were going to have to say goodbye for the night. Clarke stopped at Lexa’s car, ready to say goodnight, but Lexa kept walking towards the house, “What kind of date would this be if I didn’t bring you to your doorstep, Clarke?”

“You mean your doorstep?” Clarke raised an eyebrow as she made the joke, “I suppose we should add ‘chivalrous’ to that ongoing list of things you’re excelling in, huh?”

Lexa’s lopsided grin made a second appearance of the night, “There’s more where that came from, Clarke. Just you wait.”

Clarke’s heart skipped a beat just from the look on the other girl’s face, “I’m looking forward to it. Thanks again for everything, Lexa. This afternoon… and tonight. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. I really did have an amazing time.”

Lexa’s smile grew wider, “Me too. I did, too.”

Clarke took a step towards the brunette before whispering, “Yeah?” With one more step, her hands found refuge at the base of Lexa’s jacket, her fingers with a mind of their own, grasping the material and gently tugging the other girl towards her, “Prove it.”

Lexa’s eyes had been locked with Clarke’s, but she moved her gaze down to the blonde’s lips before slowly tracing her tongue along her own. When her eyes moved back up to Clarke’s, she found herself bridging the gap between them. Noses brushed, lips collided, hands wandered, and the stars and moon above them shone brighter than they had all night.


	8. Pick a Number Between 1 and 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for to everyone for reading, commenting, leaving kudos, and bookmarking! I hope this chapter helps address a few questions and comments you guys have had. As always, apologies for any typos!
> 
> -L

Clarke woke up the next morning, the taste of Lexa’s lips was still on her own, the smell of her hair was still lingering. She twirled her fingers around the blankets that she had slept with, blankets that were no doubt once Lexa’s before pulling the soft fabric over to cover her face, hiding the grin that spread widely, not wanting anyone to walk in and see it. The smile, the happiness, whatever feeling she was feeling, for at least this very moment, that was for her and only her to bask in.

Replaying the previous night over and over in her mind, analyzing every word they shared, Clarke couldn’t help but wonder when she was going to see the green-eyed girl again. Sure, she was here on a trip with her friends, spending time with them while they took a momentary break from their everyday lives, but she couldn’t shake the fact that this girl was doing something to her – consuming her thoughts. She couldn’t help that she was fiending to see her again, to hold her again, to kiss her again. She couldn’t help but think of what this could turn into, given the circumstance that only she knew.

She realized she had stayed in bed a later than she normally would have. When she heard someone exiting the bathroom, she finally made her way out of the maze of covers and blankets she had buried herself in. There was no doubt in her mind that Octavia and Raven would pry and prod her on last night’s events, there was also no doubt in her mind that this was the last chance she would get to share something with the two before her window of opportunity was set to close.

As she got out of her bed, she felt her phone buzz. Happy to see the name on her screen, she smiled as she read the message from Lexa.

_LW: I had a great time last night, but I think you already know that. Thank you for sitting in the cold with me._  
_CG: Thank you for keeping me warm with your delicious mulled wine._  
_LW: At the risk of sounding a bit desperate, I’d like to see you again soon._  
_CG: Are you free later this afternoon?_  
_LW: Yep. At the tree farm this morning, but should be done after lunch._  
_CG: Great. I have a lunch thing but will come find you after._  
_LW: It’s a date._

She winced as she typed out “lunch thing,” knowing the conversation she was going to need to have with her two best friends.

Clarke opened the door and was surprisingly met with both Raven and Octavia, both looking like they were ready to charge into the room.

“Jesus, Griff,” Octavia started, as Raven pushed the blonde back into the room, “we thought you’d never come out of here. We didn’t know if Lexa was with you, so we figured we’d be polite and not barge in.”

Clarke laughed, “So what if she was here? It looked like you guys were ready to pummel the door down,” she took a seat back on the bed.

“Well,” Raven replied, holding up a photo on her phone to show her friend, “Anya just sent me this. Your girl is cheesin’ so hard, Griff,” it was a photo of Lexa bundled up and attempting to tap a maple tree, “Anya said she’s been smiling like a clown all morning, so we figured it was safe to assume she wasn’t in here with you.”

Clarke couldn’t help but to mirror Lexa’s smile and her friends couldn’t help but notice.

“Are you going to spill or what?” Octavia asked, nudging the girl’s arm to snap her out of the trance she seemed to be in.

Clarke’s grin was still plastered on her face, “It was perfect. The date was perfect, Lexa was perfect. It was just perfect.”

Raven laughed at the girl’s response, “So descriptive, Clarke. What did you guys do? Where’d the girl take you to woo you?”

“We drove up to the top of the mountain, she said it was her favorite place to go. She put a blanket down and we just talked under the moon and the stars. She made mulled wine. We talked about everything and just got to know each other better. I don’t know, it was perfect. Just perfect,” if it was at all possible, Clarke’s grin spread even more massively.

“And?” Raven asked with a raised brow.

Clarke rolled her eyes, “Yes, we kissed. She walked me back to the door and we kissed.”

“And?” Octavia asked, with a brow similar to Raven’s.

“And it was perfect.”

The three girls stayed sitting atop Clarke’s bed, dissecting every bit of the date from the night prior. Clarke didn’t go into too much detail with what Lexa shared about her parents and her family, but shared enough to have her friends realize this was way more than just a surface level crush or vacation fling.

“Clarke,” Raven said, “I know it’s only been one date, but what are you hoping to get out of this?”

“What?” Clarke asked.

“She’s right, Griff,” Octavia chimed, “it feels like you really like her. Like, actually like her. I know I’m meeting up with Lincoln later, but my expectation is that we’re going to hook up and I’m going to go home and that’s going to be that.”

“You can’t really plan for that, O,” Clarke shrugged, “You don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Raven gave her a confused look, “And you do?”

“I,” Clarke started, nervous and trying to rattle her brain to find the right way to word what she wanted to say, “I’ve been needing to talk to you guys,” she gave her friends a solemn look, “and please let me finish what I need to say before you guys ask me anything or interject, okay?” Both her friends nodded for her to continue, “You know I love what I do, but you also know that I hate the hospital. The politics involved, the fact that it’s so hard to get a proper mentor because it’s just so damn chaotic all the time, I’ve just been feeling like I needed a change of pace. I was talking to my mom and she mentioned her old classmate was just appointed chief of surgery up here. It’s a really good teaching hospital and he’s a phenomenal surgeon,” Clarke stopped to read their expressions, and by the looks in their eyes, she knew they were picking up on what she was confessing, “When I told my mom we were all planning a trip, she suggested to come up here so that I could meet with him. I’m having lunch with him today.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Raven asked. By the expression on her face, Clarke couldn’t tell if she was hurt or just curious.

Clarke looked to her friend in the eye, “I didn’t know how it was going to go, I didn’t want to say I was thinking about leaving if the meeting didn’t go well and it didn’t seem like a fit.”

“Clarke,” Octavia said, reaching to put her hand on the blonde’s shoulder, “you could have told us you were unhappy. You could have told us that there was a kickass opportunity up here for you. We have your back. You know that right?”

Clarke sighed, “I didn’t want you guys to feel like I was running away from everyone.”

Raven offered the girl a somber smile, “You didn’t give us a chance for us to feel anything, Griff. O’s right, we always have your back. Don’t keep shit like this away from us anymore, okay?”

“I’m sorry,” was all Clarke could get out, “I know I shouldn’t have waited so long to tell you. It’s just so new and slightly confusing and very uncertain at the moment.”

Raven enveloped her friend into a big, bear hug, “I get it, I do. Just talk to us next time, okay?”

Clarke embraced the girl back, while finding eye contact with Octavia, “I promise.”

\---

The three girls made their way upstairs and were pleasantly greeted by almost everyone being awake and toasting bagels, “Did Raven tell you she hooked up with your girlfriend’s sister last night?” Murphy asked, mid-chew.

Clarke spun around so fast that she almost toppled herself over, “You what?! Why didn’t you tell me?”

Raven raised a brow at the girl before walking over to grab the last sesame bagel on the counter, “I don’t think you’re allowed to use the ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ thing, Griff.”

Octavia laughed and Clarke furrowed her brow, “I guess I deserved that.”

“Damn right you did,” Raven smiled.

Murphy shot all three girls an inquiring look, “I would ask what you guys are talking about, but I’m assuming you wouldn’t tell me anyway.”

“One of the only times your assumptions were right, Murphy.” Raven smiled, placing her bagel into the toaster.

Murphy shrugged, “So, was Raven the only one to lock lips with a Woods sister last night?” his attention now directed to Clarke who was turning a similar shade of Dorothy’s ruby red slippers, wishing in that moment, she could click her heels together three times and get herself out of that room.

The boy saw her flushed face, “Well, guess that answers it,” before shoving another bite of his bagel into his mouth.

“I’m going to go get ready,” Clarke said, taking a step back towards the stairs to the basement.

Bellamy laughed from his seat at the exchange, “Follow up date so soon? You must have dazzled her, kid.”

The girl rolled her eyes, “I wish. That’s this afternoon, I have to run an errand first.”

“Errand?” Bellamy questioned, “We’re on vacation and there’s nothing in a ten-mile radius around us. What errand?”

Clarke shrugged. She looked between Raven and Octavia then to the latter’s older brother, “I’ll tell you after if it’s even worth telling.”

\---

Clarke looked up at the hospital in front of her, it seemed like something out of a TV show. The façade fit in perfectly with the environment it was in. It stood strong with colossal wooden logs, black iron framing it all together, a high-pitched corrugated metal roof, and floor to ceiling windows that overlooked the forest it was situation within. It was the polar opposite of the building she was familiar with in New York, the building that somewhat resembled a state prison. This one was beautiful. This one felt good.

She walked through the sliding doors and was greeted by a smiling woman in the front, the kind of smile that rarely happened at her hospital at home. When she told the woman who she was and who she was meeting, she was given directions to the hospital’s cafeteria area, where chief of surgery, Marcus Kane, was said to be waiting for her.

The directions were easy enough. Clarke quickly found her way into the cafeteria of the building and walked towards the man she was set to have lunch with. The room was booming with people, some taking their time to enjoy their meals, some scarfing food down so they could likely get to whatever pressing matter they had at their hands. The pace seemed no different than what she was used to, but the harmony of how everything flowed so seamlessly together felt so different. In a much better way.

“You must be Clarke,” the man stood from his seat to offer his hand.

“And you must be Chief Kane,” Clarke replied, shaking his hand and moving towards a seat he motioned for her to settle in, “Thank you for seeing me today, especially on a weekend.”

“Clarke, as I’m sure you know, weekdays and weekends all blur together for us. I appreciate you coming in on a weekend during a vacation, though.”

The girl nodded and smiled, “This meeting is definitely the highlight of this trip for me, sir. The pleasure is all mine.”

The man laughed, “Well now you’re making it seem like Vermont hasn’t been treating you properly, Clarke.”

The girl blushed, “Oh, no. I mean, it definitely has been. It’s amazing up here. We’ve made some friends with locals and have been having quite the time. I just meant that this opportunity, the prospect of being able to work up here. It’s definitely something that’s been making me feel great.”

“Well,” the chief of surgery said, “glad to hear it. I know you’re aware I’ve been in contact with Chief Jaha in regards to your current program. He’s been working with your attending, Dr. Jackson on sending me cases you’ve been working on. I must say,” he stopped to smile, “I’m quite impressed.”

“Thank you, sir,” Clarke returned the smile, “my time at Mt. Weather Memorial has been extraordinary and I know I’ve learned so many things from Chief Jaha and his team, but when my mom told me about the program you’re planning to instill here, I couldn’t help but pique interest. As you can imagine, a huge hospital in an underprivileged neighborhood could be quite chaotic. More often than not, I was dealing with drunks and druggies coming into the ER. Cases that matched up with the specialty I want to go into were far and few between, and when they did come up, it was a madhouse to even be assigned to them, let along grab mentorship time with our attendings on how to proceed with them.”

Marcus nodded, “I definitely understand the struggle, Clarke. I was in a similar position when I was interning as well. I actually ended up switching programs after my first year because I was looking for the same things you’re in search of now. I know it’s not normal practice to leave after your internship, but if anyone gets it, it’s me.”

Clarke smiled before the man continued.

“It took a lot of coaxing with Jaha, you know,” he shook his head as he grinned, “I’m sure you know that he and I go as far back as your mother and I do. He didn’t want to let you go, but I told him that your aspirations reminded me of myself as a young doctor, and that I wanted to take you under my wing.”

“Thank you for doing that, sir,” Clarke let out, smile still being proudly worn on her face.

“Well,” Marcus said, starting to stand up, “now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, how about we grab some food so you can see what kind of meals you’ll be subjecting yourself to when you accept the position.”

Clarkes eyes beamed with excitement, “Really?”

“Really,” the man laughed, “we can have lunch and I’ll tell you about the program in more detail, let you know what your day-to-day will look like. Will you still be in town on Friday? The attending that you’ll be reporting into is on vacation until then and I’d really love for you to meet them. If you decide you’re all in, then we can have some of the transfer paperwork squared away then.”

The girl was more than thrilled at the prospect, “I’ll be here, just tell me when.”

\---

After a rather productive lunch with Marcus, Clarke had become even more ecstatic at the idea of this become her new norm. Departing from New York was something the girl had always wanted to do, but she never had a reason to. With this opportunity on the line for her, she knew her time had come.

She made her way to her car and dug through her pocket to check her phone. She scrolled through texts filled with words of encouragement from Raven and Octavia, extremely happy that the two weren’t mad at her for not bringing this up sooner with them, saw a text from her mom with the same sentiment, then landed on a new message from a certain brunette.

_LW: All finished here. Hope your day is going well._

She couldn’t help but smile. She came up here for one good thing, and now it felt like two very good things were on the horizon for her. With the day’s everlasting grin plastered on her face, she started typing back to the girl whose pouty lips she couldn’t stop thinking about.

_CG: Day just got exponentially better. Just finished lunch… still free to do something?_

She waited for the blinking of three dots on her screen to appear, hoping Lexa was still free to see her. She knew she could go home and celebrate with Raven, but wanted to wait to do that until Octavia got back from her date with Lincoln. And she couldn’t even kid herself. As much as she loved her friends, all she wanted to do was see Lexa to ride out the high of happiness she was already experiencing.

_LW: Pick a number between 1 and 4._  
_CG: What?_  
_LW: Just do it. The fate of our afternoon is in your hands._  
_CG: 3?_  
_LW: 3 it is. Let’s meet at the house in 30 so you can drop your car off. I’ll pick you up and we can take mine._  
_CG: Works for me. See you soon._

Clarke checked her GPS and saw that it would only take her seven to get back to the house, just enough time to quickly freshen up and grab Raven to tell her that her meeting at the hospital went well and that more details would come once Octavia got back.

As she made her way back through the winding forest roads, she couldn’t believe that this beautiful place was one step closer to becoming home. The drive was something she knew she’d never get sick of. She thought back to her commute back home, traveling nearly the same distance as she was now, but taking three times as long because the city, for the life of it, just couldn’t get their transit system optimized.

When Clarke pulled up to the house, a faint hint of smoke came into her senses. She hopped out of the Jeep and heard laughter coming from the backyard; of course, her friends were having another bonfire. She made her way to the back and found everyone sitting around in their now usual spots.

Monty got up from his seat to offer it to Clarke, “Where have you been?”

She waved the seat away, motioning for the boy to sit back down, “I had a lunch thing with a friend of my mom’s who lives up here now. I just stopped by here quick to drop off my car, Lexa’s picking me up in a few.”

“Spending a lot of time with that certified hottie of yours, Clarke.” Murphy sassed.

Clarke rolled her eyes at the boy, “You need to stop using that nickname. And, so what if I am?” she shrugged before she turned to Raven, “Rae, can you help me inside with something?” before entering the house through the sliding back door.

“So,” Raven asked, following Clarke into the house. She made sure to close the door before asking, “how’d it go?”

“It’s happening. They approved the transfer. I’m going back Friday to do some paperwork and meet one of the attendings.” Clarke cheered, as Raven smothered her in a hug.

“Griff, this is great! I’m really happy for you, even though I’m still slightly annoyed that you didn’t tell me about any of this,” the brunette started to wiggle her eyebrows, “off to celebrate with Lexa?”

Clarke laughed at the girl’s commentary, “No, not yet. I know I’m obviously smitten, but I don’t want to tell her just yet. It would feel like I’m jumping the gun, right? Like, ‘Hi, I know we’ve only been on one date, but I really like you and now I’m moving here.’”

Raven nodded, “Valid point.”

“Don’t tell Anya, if you guys are still talking.” Clarke said, remembering Raven was now intermingling with her own Woods sister.

“Oh,” the girl smirked as she shook her phone in front of Clarke’s face, “we’re talking all right. Think we’re having a little slumber party tonight, if you know what I mean.”

Clarke shook her head, “Okay, I don’t need the details. Anyway, I think I’m going to wait to see how the week goes, and if things seem like they’re staying on this track, I’ll talk to her Friday after I sign those papers.”

“Good idea,” Raven smiled, “where are you love birds off to this afternoon, anyway?”

“Not sure,” Clarke shrugged, “but I should probably go make myself look like a decent human.”

Raven eyed the girl’s outfit, “That would be wise, Griff. That would most certainly be wise. If you want my opinion, you should change out of the grandma cardigan and put something on that Lexa would actually want to take off of you.”

“First of all,” Clarke started, “I didn’t say I wanted your opinion. Second of all, I happen to find this cardigan to be very cute.”

“Go change.”

Clarke rolled her eyes and trudged her way towards the bannister leading downstairs, “Whatever.”

“You love me!” Raven called after her.

Clarke looked over her shoulder before making the descent towards her room, “Sometimes I wonder why.”


	9. It’s Not My Fault You Keep Pleasantly Surprising Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay - this update was long overdue, but I'm so glad I finally had the time (and drive) to work on this and get it posted. Hope you enjoy this bit. I don't think it's as long as the previous ones, but it's still something.
> 
> Apologies for any typos!!
> 
> And have a Happy Clexa Week. ;)
> 
> -L

It wasn’t that Clarke was necessarily listening to Raven’s advice about “changing into something Lexa would want to take off of her,” it was more so about changing to something that was more worthy of a date instead of a job interview. She smoothed out the front of her oversized cable knit sweater that almost reached her knees. Paired with simple black leggings and a pair of leather booties, she finally deemed herself ready for date number two.

Like clockwork, her phone buzzed from its place atop the dresser.

_LW: Just pulled up. I know I’m a bit early, take your time._  
_CG: Heading out now xx._

Clarke quickly made her way up the stairs towards the foyer that led to the front door. She turned around to see if anyone was inside, but unsurprisingly, her crew was still huddled around the fire pit outside. She smiled at the sight, before reaching for the door.

It was just the previous night that Clarke had so boldly urged Lexa to kiss her, she wasn’t sure where her confidence went, but the sight of Lexa’s car at the bottom of the driveway was doing something causing her stomach to do thousands of miniature summersaults.

For Clarke, there were so many unknowns. She was likely going to be uprooting her life over the course of the next few weeks. She had never had the displeasure of being away from her family, away from her friends, away from the one place she really did consider to be home. To top it all off, there was now a new variable in the equation. There was Lexa. A girl who she barely knew, but already felt so completely drawn to. A girl who appeared into her life out of thin air, leaving Clarke hoping that she wouldn’t vanish as quickly as she appeared. A girl whose green eyes had found her own and was now smiling adoringly at her through the glass of her passenger window.

Her hand made its way to the door handle of the vehicle and she took one last deep breath before opening it.

Lexa’s smile grew just a bit more, “You think rather loudly, Clarke.”

“What’s that?” Clarke asked, settling into the seat and adjusting her seatbelt.

“You looked lost in your thoughts for a second,” Lexa softened her smile, “Everything okay?”

Clarke nodded, “Yeah, everything’s okay. I was just thinking about something that happened earlier. Had lunch with a friend of my mom’s who lives in the area. Nothing bad, just family and life stuff, I guess.”

Lexa matched her nod, now understanding Clarke’s state, “Well, if you want to talk about it, I’m all ears. If not, that’s okay, too.”

“Thank you,” Clarke offered a small smile, “not yet, though. But I’m sure I’ll be bringing it all up at some point.”

“All good,” Lexa replied, pulling the car out of the driveway and heading towards the main road, before turning her attention back to Clarke, “Question.”

“Answer?”

“Your text, the ‘xx’ at the end of the one you last sent to me. Does that mean you’re ready to fess up about whatever confession you have to that The xx song?”

Clarke laughed, “Not quite ready for that one either, Lexa.”

“Ah, I see,” Lexa chuckled as she pulled up to a red light. She put the car in park and turned to look Clarke straight in the eye, “so I guess that means you were just thinking about or wanting to kiss me, then?”

A surge of embarrassment flushed over Clarke’s face. She sheepishly looked to Lexa as she bit her bottom lip before finally answering, “Something like that.”

The side of Lexa’s mouth rose, leaving a smirk on the brunette’s face. She took a cue from Clarke’s playbook from the previous evening, “Prove it.”

Clarke smiled at the girl beside her before running her tongue over her own bottom lip. She raised her chin slightly and inched towards Lexa, ready to partake in the bliss she had been longing for ever since their first kiss had ended.

Millimeters away from Lexa’s ready lips, the sound of a car honking behind them jostled both girls away from each other. Lexa looked up to see the green light and grumbled, “To be continued, then?”

Clarke sighed, her heart was still racing from the almost-kiss, “Without a doubt.”

\---

“So,” Clarke started, thumping her foot to the beat of the song that was playing from Lexa’s everlasting playlist, “where exactly are you taking me?”

Lexa chuckled, “Well, I actually had other plans, but I forgot to tell you to dress for the occasion, so now I’m improvising.”

Clarke quirked a brow as she turned to face the girl sitting next to her, “And what were those other plans?”

“Ice fishing.”

Clarke cocked her head to the side, “Ice fishing?”

Lexa bit her bottom lip, “I thought it would be fun to do because I’m assuming you’ve never been. Then I figured we could take our catches and I could teach you how to cook something else.”

Clarke smiled at the thought, remembering her first real and sincere interaction with the brunette. The way Lexa was so patient with her while she was helping her help her friend to impress Lincoln, even the way she teased her while Clarke had to do the parts she didn’t want to do.

“I definitely don’t think I’m dressed for ice fishing. But you teaching me how to cook something else? I think I like the sound of that,” Clarke nodded, before adding, “as long as you don’t make me do anything gross again.”

Lexa smirked, “You’re strictly on garlic-chopping duty.”

Clarke rolled her eyes at the comment, remembering the conversation from a few days earlier, “Anyway, may I ask what the other date options were?”

“Well,” Lexa started, “I know you’re here with your friends and your time is probably limited, but I was hoping we could still do some of them.”

“Don’t want to ruin any future date surprises?” Clarke teased.

Lexa rolled her eyes, “Someone’s awfully confident that there’s going to be a date three. Date two hasn’t even happened yet. What if we end up hating each other by the end of the afternoon?”

Clarke shook her head, “Tell yourself anything you want, Lexa, but I don’t think that will be the case.”

Lexa rolled the car to a halt, approaching a stop sign at the end of the street. As she looked to her left to make sure her path was clear to make a turn, she didn’t have time to register Clarke moving in towards her, bringing her lips to Lexa’s cheek for a quick show of affection.

Lexa’s lips curled into a smile at the feeling of the simple gesture before Clarke breathed out in a low, husky voice, “Do you think that will be the case?”

With her hands on the wheel and a grin consuming her face, Lexa turned in Clarke’s direction, “Far from it, Clarke.”

\---

“You sure everyone’s going to be okay with this?” the brunette asked, as she held the door to the shop open for Clarke to enter.

“Lexa,” Clarke started, “why would they not be okay with you coming over and making another delicious meal? They’re more than okay with it. In fact, look at what Murphy responded in the group chat when I asked,” she offered her phone to the girl.

_Murph: Fuck yes. Certified hottie for the win._

Lexa laughed as she handed the phone back, “Point taken.”

“So,” Clarke let out, looking around the butcher shop they had just walked into, “what exactly are we getting from here?”

“Beef short ribs. Lots of them,” Lexa answered, making her way to the counter, waiting for the woman behind the counter to turn around and see her.

Clarke nodded, “And what exactly are we doing with the beef short ribs?”

Lexa shrugged as she walked closer to the counter, “We're going to braise them for a few hours.”

“Sounds time intensive,” Clarke noted.

Unbeknownst to the pair, the woman at the counter had finished what she was doing and turned her attention to them, “Time intensive for sure, but if Lexa has anything to do with them, the wait will be well worth it.”

Lexa chuckled as Clarke looked between the two, who clearly knew each other.

Before Lexa could reply, the woman behind the counter smiled, “You didn’t stop in on Friday. I would ask if you found a better butcher shop since you missed your day, but we both know there isn’t a better one than this place.”

“There definitely isn’t one better than this place, that’s for sure,” Lexa said, in Clarke’s direction. “Good to see you, Echo.”

Echo smiled, “You too,” she rubbed her hands together before starting again, “So how many short ribs are we looking to pick up today?”

Lexa looked to Clarke, “Should we get enough for ten or eleven? I know Lincoln is with Octavia, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he was there when we got back.”

Clarke nodded, “Works for me. But I hope you know I’m paying for this. I may not know how to cook, but I do know that this won’t be cheap.”

“It’s fine. Anya and I have a monthly running tab here and we settle it together at the end of each month,” Lexa smiled at Clarke, then Echo, then returning her attention back to Clarke, “We take turns every Friday getting meat for the upcoming week and divvy it up between my place, hers, and Uncle Gus’ for him and Aden. Echo here gives us a nice little discount since we source all the meat we use at Woods General from here. I can just throw in a little extra.”

“Well,” Echo offered, “between the three of us, you might not have to do that. Your sister came in your place Friday and bought a whole ribeye rack and said something along the lines of how it’ll serve you right to pay for half of it without you knowing since you skipped your week.”

Lexa rolled her eyes, not surprised by her sister’s antics, “See, Clarke? All is fine.”

“At least let me get everything else, please? I feel bad. They’re my friends,” Clarke asked.

“Throwing a dinner party, Lexa?” Echo asked with a raised brow.

Lexa attempted to correct her, “Teaching Clarke how to make a new dish, and testing it on her friends.”

Echo nodded, “Clarke, did you just move to town?”

“Visiting,” the blonde smiled, “my friends and I are visiting for the week.”

“Ah, so you’re the one Nyko mentioned earlier,” Echo turned her attention back to Lexa, “Nice.”

Lexa rolled her eyes, knowing quite well what the girl was insinuating, “We’ll just take the short ribs and get going, Echo. Need to head to a few more shops.”

Clarke gladly took the bags Echo handed from over the counter and followed Lexa back to the car, “She was interesting.”

“Sorry about that,” Lexa huffed, “she’s nosy. Nyko comes in here a lot, he must have mentioned he saw me yesterday.”

Clarke raised a brow as she smirked at the girl next to her, “You’re telling me you don’t bring girls around a lot?”

Lexa shook her head as she smiled, “Something like that.”

“Well,” Clarke smiled as she bit her bottom lip, “I guess that just means I’m lucky.”

\---

The drive back to the house was pleasant. The two sat in comfortable silence, just enjoying each other’s presence. Clarke was starting to become more familiar with the roads they were driving down, she no longer wondered how long it would take to get to point a and b, she just knew.

The pair had stopped at a few more shops on the way back. All of the items on Lexa’s shopping list had been crossed off. Everything from a dry red wine and bone broth to fresh vegetables and herbs were nicely tucked into reusable shopping bags in the backseat, because of course Lexa was conscious about things like reusable bags. Every small quirk about the girl just so happened to tug at Clarke’s heartstrings more and more.

Lexa broke the silence, quietly humming along to the song playing throughout the vehicle. Clarke smiled and looked to the center of the dashboard to find the song’s title.

“Show Me Love by Hundred Waters,” she read out loud, “I like this.”

Lexa turned to smile at her, “It’s one of my favorites.”

“They’re all one of your favorites, Lexa,” Clarke teased.

“You’re right,” the brunette replied, her smile never fading, “I suppose that’s why they’re all on this playlist.”

“Do me a favor?” Clarke asked, turning to face Lexa with sprinkles of hopefulness in her eyes.

Lexa turned, wrinkling her brow ever so slightly “What’s up, Clarke?”

“Can you not listen to this when I’m not with you? I want to be able to hear the whole thing.”

Lexa’s wrinkled brow turned into a lopsided smile, similar to the one she wore on their first date, the same one that made Clarke’s heart flutter, “The playlist is over 4 hours long, Clarke.”

The blonde returned the smile, “I think we have more than enough time.”

Lexa nodded, her smile still present as she turned her attention back to the road, “Then I guess your wish is my command.”

“Should I add ‘wish granting’ to the list of things you excel in?” Clarke teased.

Lexa let out a laugh, “That’s an ever-growing list, isn’t it?”

“It’s not my fault you keep pleasantly surprising me, Lexa.”

“Well,” Lexa smirked, “I guess that’s no one’s fault other than my own.”

\---

“Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in,” Raven quipped at the pair as they unpacked the grocery bags, “What’s cookin’ tonight, good lookin’?”

“Hey!” Clarke exclaimed, slapping her hand to her friend’s arm, “back off.”

“Ouch,” Raven shrugged as she rubbed the stinging spot, “Possessive, much?”

Lexa had a brow raised, looking between the two, “I’m standing right here, guys.”

Raven smiled a devilish grin, “Both of you relax, I’ve got my eyes on a different Woods sister.”

“I’m going to go ahead and ignore that because I don’t need to think about you and my sister, but to answer your first question, we’re making braised beef short ribs,” Lexa said, going through the cabinets looking for the right cast iron pots she needed.

“Here, let me help you,” Clarke offered, pulling the pot out before she nearly toppled over, “Jesus, what is this? It weighs a thousand pounds.”

“It’s made of cast iron,” Lexa explained, “it helps keep the heat in while it’s in the oven which will make the meat incredibly tender.”

“Oh,” Clarke nodded, “that makes sense.”

“Wow,” Raven interrupted the exchange and laughed, “you’ve actually got Clarke interested in cooking. You really must be something special, Lexa.”

“Go away, Rae,” Clarke huffed before changing the subject, “Is O back yet?”

“No, but she texted me saying her and Lincoln should be back soon. I think he’s staying for dinner. Anya is on her way, too.”

Lexa’s eyes shot up, “My sister?”

“Clarke’s not the only one who’s allowed to romp around with a Woods sister, buddy,” Raven smirked.

“Okay,” Lexa turned to the girl, “please never refer to hanging out with my sister as ‘romping around’ and please stop calling us the ‘Woods sisters’. That just sounds weird.”

Clarke turned to her friend before she had a chance to sass Lexa even more, “Raven, go babysit everyone else so we can get dinner started, please.”

“Everyone’s napping, but I’ll let you two lovebirds do your thing,” Raven winked before heading down the stairs to where her room was.

“Lovebirds, huh?” Lexa asked Clarke with a knowing look on her face.

Clarke shook her head, “Sorry about that, she is absolutely insufferable.”

“Do your friends treat all your dates like this?” Lexa chuckled.

“Well,” Clarke started as she was sorting the groceries on the countertop, “considering I don’t really date, I think they’re treating it like this because they’re just highly amused.”

Lexa looked at the blonde with feigned concern, “You don’t date, huh? Any red flags I should be aware of?”

“Just that my job requires me to be a workaholic, hence the not even knowing how to cook thing, and my hours doing really lend well for dating,” Clarke shrugged.

“Ah,” Lexa nodded, “right.”

Clarke quickly realized what was going through Lexa’s mind and she didn’t blame the other girl. If her sixth sense was right, the brunette was probably thinking about how all of this wasn’t necessarily permanent. How Clarke had all the time in the world because she was on a trip escaping her real life – her reality. How in exactly one week, Clarke would be leaving to go back home to New York, back to work, back to not having time for anything.

As much as she wanted to tell Lexa about her meeting at the hospital earlier and how her life was about to immensely change, she thought back to the conversation she had with Raven. She couldn’t jump the gun just yet, right in the middle of date number two.

Clarke cleared her throat, “What I meant to say was that my life wasn’t conducive for meeting someone.”

Lexa gave her a sad smile, “Nice save.”

“It’s true, it’s not conducive for meeting someone. My hours don’t really lend well for meeting someone.”

Lexa nodded, “I understand.”

“Do you?” Clarke asked, “Because now that I’ve met you, and I don’t mean to be presumptuous, but now that I’ve met you, I feel like if this date goes well, and if we have a few more, we’ll be able to figure something out.”

Lexa nodded again, feeling slightly more at ease, “Maybe we should cross that bridge if we get there?”

“If?” Clarke raised a brow.

“We could still end up hating each other by the end of this date,” Lexa pointed out.

Clarke smiled, taking two steps closer towards the brunette, encroaching in her personal space, “Didn’t we both establish earlier that wouldn’t be the case?”

“Ah,” Lexa smiled, slowly snaking her arms around Clarke’s waist, “you’re right.”

Clarke placed her hands on Lexa’s shoulders, tugging at the other girl until their faces were millimeters apart, “Of course I am.”

Lexa chuckled before she closed the gap between them, bringing her lips to the blonde’s. There was no doubt in her mind that there was a connection between them, no doubt about the electrifying feeling that coursed through her as soon as their lips touched. She pulled back, earning a quiet whimper from the girl in her arms due to the loss of contact. Lexa looked at the blonde and smiled as she brushed a strand of hair from her face before kissing her again.

Lexa felt Clarke smile into the kiss as the blonde pulled away, now leaving Lexa to whimper from the loss of contact.

“That was nice,” Clarke said, smile still ever-so-present on her face.

“Hmm,” Lexa replied, “What was?”

Clarke traced her finger over the brunette’s lips, “Kissing you.”

“You can do that whenever you please, you know,” Lexa offered.

The blonde raised a brow, “Is that right?”

“Mhmm,” Lexa hummed.

“Well that’s great news, Lexa,” Clarke said, pulling the brunette back to reconnect their lips one more time before they started on dinner.


	10. Yeah, I Could Get Used To That

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, it's been a WHILE, hasn't it? So glad I was able to write this out and finally share it with you guys. Apologies in advance for any typos. As always, thank you guys for reading, commenting, and throwing kudos my way. I hope you enjoy this next installment—I know it's a little shorter than the rest, but it's something!
> 
> xx.

Clarke was astonished at how much grace Lexa had within the kitchen—granted, the brunette did spent some years of her life in this house, and had grown up cooking, it was still a sight to see for the blonde. Every movement Lexa made seemed effortless, almost as if she belonged right there, doing everything she was supposed to be doing.

This time, compared to their first, Clarke felt a bit more at ease with taking direction from Lexa. The blonde still wasn’t a confident sous chef, but comfort slowly came with Lexa’s cool and patient demeanor. The short ribs were in the oven, “braising” as the brunette had explained. The only thing left to do was make the mashed potatoes, but since they had quite a bit of time, Lexa offered Clarke an intermission from the kitchen.

“Do you want a glass of wine or something?” Clarke offered, rummaging through the bottles on the countertop.

“You know,” Lexa started to point out, “for the amount of you staying in this house and the amount of alcohol you guys have on hand, I’m fairly surprised to see the place still standing, let alone be as clean as it is.”

Clarke laughed, “We may be delinquent city slickers, but we’re not slobs.”

“That’s fair,” Lexa smiled, “but back to your question—a glass of wine would be nice. Maybe we can get the fireplace in the next room started?”

The blonde nodded, “Yeah, I’d like that. How about we go out and get some wood, then while you get it started, I’ll grab the wine?”

“Actually,” Lexa thought, “I think I need to chop the pieces a little smaller to fit in here—I’ll do that and get some to refill the heaters also, then we can get the fire going and have that glass?”

“You don’t have to do that, we’re supposed to be the ones keeping the heat going,” Clarke shook her head.

“Don’t worry about it,” Lexa smiled at the girl in front of her, “I think I’ve put you through enough strenuous work with those short ribs. Relax for a bit and I’ll let you know when we’re ready to get the fireplace going.”

“You’re so thoughtful,” Clarke joked, taking a step closer to Lexa and grabbing her by the hem of her shirt.

Lexa raised a brow at the gesture, “You’re getting pretty handsy, huh?”

“Well,” Clarke licked her lips, “you told me I could kiss you whenever I pleased.”

“Hmm,” Lexa pretended to ponder, “Did I? I don’t recall.”

Clarke rolled her eyes in response when she felt Lexa snake her arms around her waist and press her lips against hers—it was quick, and when Lexa pulled away, Clarke felt herself chasing this kiss.

The brunette hummed, “You’re right, I did say that.”

“You did,” Clarke grinned, “now hurry with the wood so we can relax for a little.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Lexa pretended to salute, “Didn’t realize you were this bossy, but I’m kind of into it.”

Clarke raised a brow, “Kind of?”

“More than,” Lexa winked before heading out to the back porch.

The blonde stepped back into the kitchen, starting to tidy up the small mess her and Lexa had made. She couldn’t help but smile at the thought of Lexa—the thought that just a few days ago, this person wasn’t in her life, and had appeared just in time for her transition to the next phase of her life. Moving to Vermont without knowing anyone was a daunting thought, but now that she knew Lexa would be there, she had even more to look forward to.

“What’s got you smiling like an idiot, Griff?” Raven asked, walking into the kitchen, surveying the countertops for something to snack on, “Is it the certified hottie?”

Clarke rolled her eyes, “Quit it. And yes, maybe,” she realized what Raven was in search for and pulled over a small bowl of chips to fill her friend’s hunger, “Don’t fill yourself up, though. Dinner’s going to be good tonight.”

“I expect nothing less,” Raven smiled as she chomped on a chip, “so where’s the girlfriend at?”

“Rae,” Clarke swatted her, “Can you not? It’s literally been like, three days. You’re going to scare her away if she hears you saying shit like that.”

“Yeah,” Raven shrugged, “three days and she’s got you grinning like an idiot. She’s also got your non-domestic ass in the kitchen twice—sounds like girlfriend stuff to me.”

“She’s… I don’t know, it feels silly, it literally has only been three days,” Clarke sighed, “and I know within those three days, we’ve spent so much time together. It kind of feels too good to be true with everything else happening. I just really like her.”

“Hey,” Raven took Clarke’s hand in hers, “sometimes when you know, you know, Griff. Don’t sweat it, seems like you guys are on the same page. Just keep going with it and see how it all plays out.”

Clarke nodded and Raven let go of her hand, “So have you thought about talking to her about the job offer?”

“Yeah, I have,” Clarke looked up, “I mean, nothing’s changed. I still want to see how the rest of the week goes—don’t want to jump the gun. If everything’s still going well by the time we leave, I’ll tell her.”

“Seems like a sound plan to me,” Raven said as she reached for another handful of chips, “How much longer for dinner?”

Clarke looked at the timer set on her phone, “Maybe two and a half hours or so. Still need to make the mashed potatoes.”

“Damn, Griff. The certified hottie’s really turning you into a domesticated woman, huh?” Raven smirked.

As if just on time, the pair heard the porch door close, as Lexa entered the living space juggling what seemed to be a lot of wood as she huffed, “Is that nickname ever going to die?”

“Negative from me,” Raven said, walking over to her to help, “likely a negative from Murphy, too, but we can ask him later.”

Refilling the wood burning stoves didn’t take as long as Lexa had planned—fifteen minutes later and she and Clarke were sitting at the edge of the large fireplace, ready to ignite it. Once it was roaring, Clarke grabbed the bottle of wine from the kitchen, three glasses, and the two sat down on the couch, opposite Raven in an armchair.

“I feel like I’m intruding,” Raven sipped her wine and looked at the girls across from her.

“Please,” Lexa scoffed, “if anything, I’m intruding on your guys’ trip.”

“You’ve been making it exponentially better, Woods,” Raven tipped her glass towards the other brunette.

Clarke nodded and clinked her glass with Lexa’s, “Exponentially better is right. You’re keeping us warm and keeping us fed, don’t think you’re going to get any complaints from anyone in the group.”

“And you brought us on a fun activity,” Raven added, “speaking of, got any more recommendations for us?”

“Actually,” Lexa smiled as she leaned in, “there was something I wanted to bring up to see if you guys were interested.”

“I think we’re all ears,” Raven gestured between her and Clarke, wanting the brunette to continue.

“Have any of you ever driven a snowmobile before?” Lexa asked as she raised her brow, already knowing how excited the two were going to be.

Clarke’s eyes beamed, “Holy shit, are you going to take us?”

“Dude,” Raven joined, “Please tell me you’re going to take us.”

Lexa couldn’t help but notice the twinkle in Clarke’s eyes as the blonde looked in her direction—her heart nearly skipped a beat at the sight. She exhaled a breath that she didn’t realize she was even holding in, “If you’d like.”

Clarke smiled at Lexa, the two still maintaining eye contact before she gently let out, “Please.”

Raven looked between the two, “Well, you guys are weirdly cute together, and now I’m going to remove myself from third wheeling.”

“No,” Lexa finally looked away from Clarke, “Sorry, I just–” she paused, “Just got lost for a second. I’m back now—how about we plan this, because it’s going to take some coordination.”

Clarke glanced over at her friend, shooting her an apology with her eyes, “Yeah, let’s all do that.”

“Fine,” Raven came closer to the coffee table, “but no more heart eyes while I’m the only other person in the room.”

Lexa grinned, “I’ll see what I can do, no promises, though.”

Clarke felt herself blushing—heat creeping up her neck, to her chin, to her cheeks. She still couldn’t fathom how someone she met three days ago was making her feel this way, but she decided to stop questioning it and just go with it. She snapped back to the conversation and cleared her throat, “I mean, you know that we don’t have any real plans this week, so how about you tell us when you can take us?”

Lexa nodded, “Yeah, so I need to open the store tomorrow and probably need to be there until after lunch. How about Tuesday morning? If memory serves me correct, Anya and Lincoln should be able to make that work, too.”

Raven, excited at the thought of riding one of the machines, jumped in, “So do you have enough for everyone? I mean, we can all obviously double up, but it would be awesome to be on the trail together.”

“Yeah,” Lexa smiled at her enthusiasm, “between me, Anya, Lincoln, and Gustus, we definitely have enough for everyone to share. Linc and Octavia can double up,” she looked at Raven, “you and Anya,” her eyes then turned to Clarke, “you’re more than welcome to double up with me.”

Raven laughed, “As if Griff needs an excuse to want to hold onto you for an extended period of time.”

“Point taken,” Lexa chuckled, “Clarke’s with me, then. Jasper and Maya, Bellamy and Murphy, then Monty can be on his own.”

“Why does Monty get his own?” Raven fake-pouted.

Clarke looked at Lexa, then back to Raven, “Probably because he’s the only one responsible enough not to adventure off alone.”

“Exactly,” Lexa smiled, “I know I don’t really know your friends that well, yet, but he seems like the most responsible one out of the guys.”

Clarke blushed again. _Yet._ Lexa said “yet,” meaning that Lexa was planning on getting to know her friends a little better. Something sparked in the blonde’s heart, and she suddenly realized she had nothing to worry about when it came to whatever this was with Lexa.

\---

The rest of the group started making their way into the kitchen and living room—the smell of food cooking drew them into the living spaces. Clarke was almost done with the mashed potatoes, the blonde had gotten so good at listening to Lexa’s instructions, that the brunette didn’t have to lift a finger. And even when she tried to help, Clarke assured her that she was doing just fine.

“Those ‘taters smell fucking delicious, Griff,” Murphy said, walking into the kitchen, “What’s in them?”

The blonde was mixing in a few ingredients into the potato mixture, “Ask the head chef, I don’t want to give away all her secrets.”

Lexa laughed as she turned to Murphy, “I’m pretty sure Clarke’s the head chef now, I haven’t done a thing since we put the short ribs in the oven. The potatoes do smell great, don’t they? They’ve got some heavy cream, lots of butter, a bit of truffle oil and truffle salt, chopped up chives, and some aged gouda to add some sharpness to it. From the smell of it, it’s going to be delicious.”

“From the smell of everything, it feels like it’s going to be a good night here at Casa Woods,” Lincoln called out from the front door, “Sorry for barging in, O said it was cool if I stayed for dinner. Raven told her you were here cooking with Clarke.”

“You’re always welcome here,” Clarke smiled, “Lex and I accounted for you and Anya when we were shopping for food. The more the merrier.”

“Busy spending the day planning for a dinner party?” Octavia teased as she made her way into the room.

Clarke smirked, “You could say that. But what was it that kept you busy all day, O?”

Bellamy jerked his head as soon as he heard Clarke’s question, “Don’t answer that until I’m out of the room, please.”

The group laughed and moved into the living room—Monty and Jasper were working to keep the fire in the fireplace going, and Raven send Anya a text to see if she wanted to join them, being that her sister and best friend were both there.

Clarke finished transferring the mashed potato goodness she just made into a serving dish while Lexa was taste-testing the sauce for the short ribs. She looked behind her and found Lexa adding a little more seasoning, concentrated on making sure the dish was perfect, then scanned the next room over and saw the whole group getting cozy with smiles plastered on their faces. She realized that this scene, what was happening right before her eyes, was something she wouldn’t have a problem getting used to.

“Hey,” she turned to Lexa, “is it too soon to tell you that I’m glad I met you?”

Lexa turned around to face the blonde. She put the spoon she was holding on the counter and took a step closer, “No, because I am too. I know it’s only been a few days, but I’m okay with it if you are.”

“I’m more than okay with it,” Clarke nodded.

Lexa smiled, “Good, glad we have that settled. Should we feed our friends now?”

 _Our friends._ She knew what Lexa meant, though the room was mostly filled with Clarke’s group, Lexa had her people in the room as well, but she couldn’t help but smile at the words that poured out of the brunette’s mouth.

“Not before I do this,” Clarke whispered, leaning in to press a soft kiss on Lexa’s eager lips.

Lexa smiled and hummed as Clarke pulled away, “Yeah, I could get used to that.”

“Good, you should,” Clarke pecked her once more before grabbing some things to set the table.


End file.
